Russia’s Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Tel Aviv of “criminal negligence” in dealing with Moscow, in a tone that reflected the failure of both sides to contain their dispute, one week after the Syrian regime accidentally shot down a Russian military plane, killing more than a dozen people.
Moscow blamed Israel again for the downing by Syrian anti-aircraft fire of a Russian spy plane during an Israeli air raid in Syria. It said Russia’s military had been misled by the Israeli Forces about the time and location of the airstrike, showing a 3D rendering of the incident, which purported to display the actions of all the aircraft involved.
"The Israeli military command either does not value the current level of relations with Russia or does not control certain military units," Russian Defense Ministry Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Sunday.
Russian circles said the tough tone used by the Russian ministry proves that Moscow plans to escalate and might stop coordinating with Tel Aviv in Syria, a decision that hampers the Israeli forces' ability to conduct operations against Iran and its proxies in Syria. Also, those circles said Moscow is waiting for Israel to take serious steps to contain the repercussions of last week’s development.
"Objective data says that the actions of Israeli pilots, which led to the death of 15 Russian military personnel, point to either lack of professionalism or criminal negligence," Konashenkov said.
"This is why we believe that the Russian Il-20 aircraft tragedy is solely the fault of the Israeli Air Force and those who made decisions concerning such actions."
The Russian official also said Russia has taken measures in Syria to accommodate Israeli demands, including the relocation of Iranian troops from the border of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and providing Russian patrols in the area.
Konashenkov said last week’s incident is an extremely ungrateful response to all that has been done by the Russian Federation for Israel and the Israeli people recently.
