Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to continue combatting Iranian "entrenchment" in Syria and coordinating with Russia after the downing of one of Moscow's planes.

"We will continue to act to prevent the Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, and continue the security coordination between the Israel Defence Forces and Russian army," Netanyahu told reporters.

On September 17, Syrian air defences mistakenly shot down a Russian military plane following an Israeli raid in Syria, killing 15 people.

Moscow has blamed the friendly fire incident on Israeli pilots using the larger Russian plane as "cover".

Israel disputes the Russian findings and says its jets were back in Israeli airspace when the plane was downed.

Russia announced new security measures to protect its military in Syria, including supplying the Syrian army with an S-300 air defence system and jamming radars of nearby warplanes.

Those moves prompted Netanyahu on Monday to warn Putin against "transferring advanced weapons systems into irresponsible hands".

Speaking at the airport before travelling to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu stressed Israel's "great success" in preventing Iranian military entrenchment in Syria and the transfer of advanced arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon over the past three years.

"That doesn't mean that there weren't exceptions, but altogether it has been very successful," Netanyahu said.

"We did this with maximal and very successful security coordination with the Russian army."

Netanyahu also noted he had agreed with Putin to have Israeli and Russian military teams meet soon to enhance the coordination.

Russia and Israel set up a hotline in 2015 to avoid accidental clashes in Syria. Israel is now concerned Russia will seek to limit its actions there.

Israel's main enemy is Iran and it has pledged to stop it from entrenching militarily in neighbouring Syria.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah is also one of its enemies.

Both Iran and Hezbollah are supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in his country's civil war alongside Russia.</s></s>In a warning seen as being directed at Israel's Air Force, Moscow says it will also jam satellite signals

Russia is to supply Syria with an advanced air defence system in response to the shooting down of one of Moscow's planes that killed 15 servicemen and was initially blamed on Israel.

In an indirect warning at Israel, President Vladimir Putin's military said it would also start to jam the radar and satellite signals of planes that attack Syrian territory from the Mediterranean.

The Russian deaths last week have forced Moscow to take "adequate retaliatory measures to increase the safety of its military fighting international terrorism in Syria," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised address on Monday.

"A modern S-300 air defence missile system will be transferred to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks," he said, significantly increasing the combat capabilities of President Bashar Al Assad's forces.

Israel, which has struck Syria scores of times during the seven-year war, said after the incident that it would work to improve "deconfliction" of its missions, but would not halt them. It has long lobbied Moscow not to provide the S-300 system to Syria.

The decision to supply the S-300 technology was taken by President Putin because of the downing of the Russian aircraft, the defence minister said.

The Russian IL-20 surveillance plane crashed near Latakia in northern Syria.

Russia has said Syria shot the plane down shortly after Israeli jets struck targets in the area, but accused Israel of creating dangerous conditions by failing to give sufficient advance notice.

The Russian Defence Ministry initially blamed the plane's loss on Israel, saying its fighter jets pushed the plane into the line of fire. Mr Putin then sought to defuse tensions, mentioning "a chain of tragic accidental circumstances".

Last week, Russia's foreign ministry said Israel must provide Moscow with more information about the downing of the military aircraft near the Syrian coast. However, the Kremlin also said Russia's decision was not targeted against anyone and only serves to protect Russian troops in Syria.

Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300s, which Israel feared Syria could use against it. Mr Shoigu said Russia is now going to go ahead with the shipment because "the situation has changed". Russian officials say Syria's outdated S-200 systems aren't sophisticated enough to identify the Russian plane as a friendly one.

"We are convinced that these measures will calm down some hotheads and keep them from careless actions which pose a threat to our troops," Mr Shoigu said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told journalists that the decision to supply the weapons was "not directed at any third country". "Russia needs to increase safety of its military and it should be clear for everyone," he said.

But he also repeated Moscow's accusations that Israel was to blame for the crash: "No doubt that according to our military experts, deliberate action by Israeli pilots was the reason for the tragedy and this cannot but harm our (Russia-Israeli) ties."

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Read more:

Assad blames Israel over downing of Russian plane

US confirms Israeli missiles struck Iranian storage facility in Latakia

Vladimir Putin blames downing of Russian plane in Syria on 'chance events'

Russian military jet carrying 14 servicemen vanishes off radar

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Russia launched its campaign in Syria to support President Al Assad in 2015, and though the involvement turned the tide of war in favour of Syrian government forces, Moscow has since tried to play a careful balancing act, maintaining good ties both with Iran and Israel.

For its part, Israel is wary of Iran's growing influence in Syria, which is bringing its archenemy closer to its borders. Last week's downing has put Russia's relationship with Israel to the test.

Russia's stepped-up role in Syria enabled President Assad's forces, which had been losing ground to the armed opposition, to gain the upper hand and reclaim significant territory held by the rebels.

In recent months, the government recaptured many areas that were controlled by the opposition. And last week, Russia reached a deal with Turkey that averted a Russian-backed offensive against the northwestern province of Idlib, one of the last areas out of government control.</s>Moscow will bolster

 Syria’s air defence

 with a S-300 system and jam radars of military planes striking from off the coast of the Mediterranean following the downing of a Russian plane, its military chief said.

 Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that President Vladimir Putin has ordered additional security measures after a Syrian Soviet-era S-200 air defence missile shot down a Russian military plane by mistake, killing 15, in an incident last week that Moscow blames on Israel. “This has pushed us to adopt adequate response measures directed at boosting the security of Russian troops” in Syria, Shoigu said in a televised statement.

 “(Russia will) transfer the modern S-300 air defence system to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks.”

 Syrian military had already been trained to use the system, which was set to be sent over in 2013 but was held up “at the request of Israel,” Shoigu said.

 “In regions near Syria over the Mediterranean Sea, there will be radio-electronic suppression of satellite navigation, on-board radar systems and communication systems of military aviation attacking objects on Syrian territory.”

 Moscow says Israeli F-16 planes which struck Lat akia in western Syria on September 17 later used the landing Russian Il-20 surveillance plane as a “cover,” which resulted in the Il-20 being struck by a Syrian air defence missile. “We are certain that the realisation of these measures will cool the ‘hot heads’ and will keep them from poorly thought-out actions which threaten our servicemen,” Shoigu said.—AFP</s>Russia to provide Syria with new S-300 air defense missiles

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia announced Monday it will supply Syria's government with sophisticated S-300 air defense systems after last week's downing of a Russian plane by Syria forces responding to an Israeli air strike, a friendly fire incident that stoked regional tensions.

The Russian Il-20 military reconnaissance aircraft was downed by Syrian air defenses that mistook it for an Israeli aircraft, killing all 15 people on board. Russia laid the blame on Israel, saying Israeli fighter jets were hiding behind the Russian plane, an account denied by the Israeli military.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the S-300 missile defense systems will be delivered to Damascus within two weeks. Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300s, which Israel feared Syria could use against it.

Shoigu went on television to say that Russia is now going to go ahead with the shipment because "the situation has changed, and it's not our fault."

Shortly after his statement, Putin got a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that the Russian move was "aimed primarily at fending off any potential threat to the lives of Russian servicemen," according to the Kremlin."

Netanyahu's office said in its readout of the call that the Israeli prime minister "stressed once again that the responsibility for the unfortunate incident lay on the Syrian army that shot it down and on Iran, whose aggression is destabilizing the region."

In an apparent reference to the S-300, the statement said "transferring advanced weapons to irresponsible hands will increase the dangers in the region," adding that Israel will "continue to defend its security and interests."

Shoigu announced that Russia would also equip Syrian air defenses with a new automated control system to enhance its efficiency and help identify Russian aircraft. On top of that, the Russian military will start using electronic countermeasures to jam any aircraft that would try to launch attacks off Syria's coast.

"We are convinced that these measures will calm down some hotheads and keep them from careless actions which pose a threat to our troops," Shoigu said.

The Israeli military has denied responsibility for the downing of the Russian jet, insisting Sunday that Israeli jets did not hide behind other aircraft and that they were in Israeli airspace when the Russian plane was downed.

The Russian military angrily rejected those claims. On Monday, Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov produced data collected by Russian air defense systems in Syria purportedly indicating that one of Israeli F-16 fighter jets was flying close to the much larger Russian plane, resulting in the Syrian missile homing in on the bigger target.

Konashenkov also said that data showed that the Israeli jets remained over the Mediterranean Sea off Syria's coast after the Russian plane was downed.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton meanwhile said Monday that delivery of the Russian S-300 would be a "significant escalation" in already high tensions in the region, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would raise the matter this week with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the U.N. General Assembly.

"We think introducing the S-300s to the Syrian government would be a significant escalation by the Russians and something that we hope, if these press reports are accurate, they would reconsider," Bolton said.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Ministry Sergei Ryabkov fired back, warning the U.S. against taking "a mentor's tone."

International and regional powers backing various sides in Syria's civil war have been carrying out strikes for years, often using special hotlines to prevent aerial confrontations.

Israel said its warplanes were targeting a Syrian facility involved in arms shipments to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Israel has launched at least 200 strikes at Iranian and Hezbollah facilities in Syria over the past years, and has maintained a hotline with the Russian military to prevent any collisions.

But Shoigu said that the Israeli military warned Russia about last week's strike just one minute before launching it and claimed it was being conducted in Syria's north. Instead, the Israeli jets targeted the western province of Latakia, putting the Russian warplane in the line of fire.

Russian officials said Syria's Soviet-made S-200 systems, one of which downed the Russian plane, weren't sophisticated enough to identify the Russian aircraft as a friendly one.

Russia launched its campaign in support of President Bashar Assad in 2015, eventually turning the tide of war in favor of Syrian government forces. Moscow has tried to maintain good relations with Iran, which is also allied with the Syrian government, and Israel, which is wary of Iran's growing influence in Syria.

The downing of the plane came just hours after Russia announced it had reached a deal with Turkey to avert a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive against the northwestern province of Idlib, controlled by a mix of radical groups and Turkey-backed armed opposition.

Syrian state TV said insurgents shelled a government-controlled crossing east of Idlib on Monday that was reportedly prepared to allow civilians to leave the province.

Concerns are rising in Idlib over the details of the deal and how it will be implemented. The province is home to some 3 million Syrians, half of them displaced by violence in other parts of the country.

Hard-line armed groups have rejected the deal, saying it aims to strip the opposition of weapons and is a victory for Assad's government. On Sunday, tribal leaders and prominent local figures meeting in Idlib said they distrusted Russian mediation, citing Russia's previous cease-fire violations. The conference called on armed groups not to leave the front lines in Syria or hand over their weapons.

Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Aron Heller in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.</s>Russia announced Monday that it will supply the Syrian government with modern S-300 missile defense systems following last week's downing of a Russian plane by Syria, a friendly fire incident that send regional tensions over the war-torn country soaring.

The Russian military aircraft was downed by Syrian government missile defense systems, killing all 15 people on board. Russia laid the blame squarely on Israel, saying that its fighter jets had pushed the Russian plane into the line of Syria's fire. Shortly before the downing, Israeli strikes had hit targets inside Syria, reportedly preventing an arms shipment going to Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.

Russia launched its campaign in Syria to support President Bashar Assad in 2015 and though the involvement turned the tide of war in favor of Syrian government forces, Moscow has since played a careful balancing act, maintaining good ties both with Iran and Israel.

For its part, Israel is wary of Iran's growing influence in Syria, bringing its archenemy closer to its borders.

Last week's downing has put Russia's relationship with Israel to a test.

President Vladimir Putin struck a reconciliatory note, blaming the downing on a "chain of tragic, fatal circumstances." But the Russian military came out on Sunday, renewing the accusations against Israel.

Russian officials said Syria's outdated S-200 systems weren't sophisticated enough to identify the Russian plane as a friendly one.

Monday's statement from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia will send the newer S-300 missile defense systems to Syria within the next two weeks. Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300, which Israel feared Syria could use against it.

Shoigu said Russia is now going to go ahead with the shipment because "the situation has changed, and it's not our fault." The supply of S-300s to Syria will "calm down some hotheads" whose actions "pose a threat to our troops," he said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian news agencies that supplying S-300 to Syria is Russia's "own right" and expressed confidence that this would not hurt Russia's ties with Israel.

The Kremlin said Russia's decision was not targeted against anyone and only serves to protect Russian troops in Syria. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that recent findings by the Russian military showed an Israeli jet "deliberately" pushed the Russian Il-20 into the line of fire, enabling its downing.

Russia's stepped-up role in Syria enabled Assad's forces, which had been losing ground to the armed opposition, to gain the upper hand in the war and reclaim wide swaths of territory held by the rebels.

In recent months, the government recaptured many areas that were controlled by the opposition. And last week, Russia reached a deal with Turkey that averted a Russian-backed offensive against the northwestern province of Idlib, one of the last areas out of government control.

Idlib, controlled by a mix of radical groups and Turkey-backed armed opposition, overlooks the Syrian coast where Russia military and air bases are located, and have reportedly come under rebel fire.

Shortly after Moscow's announcement, the Syrian president's office said Assad received a call from Vladimir Putin and that the two discussed the latest developments, including the Idlib deal and the delivery of S-300s.

According to the statement, Putin reiterated that Russia holds Israel responsible for the downing of the Russian plane. The Russian president also informed Assad of the S-300 delivery, it said.

Assad expressed his condolences for the deaths of the Russian airmen, saying they were "carrying out noble mission, fighting terrorism in Syria."

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.</s>
• Russia plans to immediately arm the Syria with S-300 anti-aircraft systems in response to the accidental shootdown of a Russian aircraft by Syrian forces during an Israeli airstrike last week.
• Russia refrained from giving this system to the Syrians in the past due to Israeli protests, but Moscow now blames Israel for the deaths of 15 Russian crew members.
• In addition to the provision of S-300s, the Russian defense ministry warned that its forces will target the electronic systems of any military aircraft that launches strikes on Syrian targets, a risky move likely to escalate regional tensions.

Russia has decided to arm its Syrian partners with an advanced anti-aircraft weapons system and to target the electronic systems of any military aircraft that launches strikes in Syrian territory, the Russian defense ministry said Monday in response to losing a spy plane last week.

This incident "has pushed us to adopt adequate response measures directed at boosting the security of Russian troops," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu explained. Last week, using older S-200 surface-to-air missile defenses, Syrian air defense forces accidentally shot down a Russian Il-20 electronic intelligence plane during an Israeli missile attack. The incident killed 15 Russians.

Russia intends to "transfer the modern S-300 air defense system to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks," he said. "In regions near Syria over the Mediterranean Sea, there will be radio-electronic suppression of satellite navigation, onboard radar systems and communication systems of military aviation attacking objects on Syrian territory."

"We are certain that the realization of these measures will cool the 'hot heads' and will keep them from poorly thought-out actions which threaten our servicemen," Shoigu concluded in a warning to both Israel, which claims to have conducted 200 strikes in Syria in the past year and a half, and perhaps the US and its coalition partners, which have on more than one occasion struck Syria for the use of chemical weapons.

The Kremlin insisted that the weapons delivery was not directed at any third country.

There were rumors in late April, just weeks after the US, Britain, and France launched strikes on Syria from both air and sea, about the possible provision of Russian S-300 anti-missile batteries to the Syrian regime. Russia has largely refrained from arming the Syrian air defense forces with S-300 due to protests from Israel, which would come under threat from the improved defenses.

"At the request of the Israeli side, in 2013 we suspended the delivery of S-300 systems that were ready for the dispatch, while the Syrian military had undergone training. Now the situation has changed, and we are not to blame," Shoigu said Monday.



Russia has already sold the system to Iran, much to Israel's dismay given the weapon's ability to threaten Israeli air superiority and complicate air strikes in the event of a conflict. In Syria, Russian troops already operate advanced S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft systems to defend their own ships and planes, but this would be a first for the Syrian air defense forces.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned earlier this year that Israel will respond with force if anyone shoots at Israeli planes. "One thing needs to be clear: If someone shoots at our planes, we will destroy them," he explained.</s>Moscow will bolster Syria's air defence following the downing of a Russian plane last week by sending a modern S-300 system to the Syrian army within two weeks, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

In a televised statement on Monday, Shoigu said the decision to "transfer the modern S-300 air defence system to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks" was taken by President Vladimir Putin and is one of the "response measures".

On the same day, the Kremlin accused Israeli pilots of "premeditated actions" over the downing of a Russian plane in Syria last week, warning it will harm relations between the two countries.

"According to information of our military experts, the reason (behind the downing) were premeditated actions by Israeli pilots which certainly cannot but harm our relations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

However, the Kremlin said the installation of S-300 was aimed at increasing safety of Russian military and "not directed at any third country".

Russia will also block navigation and satellite systems, as well as communications of warplanes operating in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the defence minister.

Moscow has blamed Israel for the accidental shooting down of the aircraft with 15 people onboard. The Israeli military, however, said that Syria's indiscriminate air defence fire was the cause of the plane crash.

Fifteen servicemen on board were killed by Syrian friendly fire in the incident which Moscow blamed on the Israeli air force.

The Russian military said the Il-20 electronic intelligence plane was hit 35km off Syria's Mediterranean coast as it returned to its home base nearby.

Russian defence officials described manoeuvres by Israeli fighter jets during the incident as "hostile" and said it had a right to retaliate.

Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said the announcement on missiles seemed to be linked to the incident with Israel.

"The S-300 was a deal that had been signed with Syria in 2013, but Israel put its foot down on negotiation with Russia and Russia decided that it was going to hold off delivering these units," he said.

"In the aftermath of the events last week in which a Russian plane was shot down in the area over the Syrian coast, Russia has obviously decided to go against that agreement with Israel."

Elias Farhat, a military analyst and retired Lebanese army general, said the Syrians have already been trained on how to operate the S-300 a few years ago.

"There have been leaks that Syrian officers went to Russia in order to train on the usage [of the missile system]," he told Al Jazeera from the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

"The S-300 is a very effective anti-aircraft missile ... Israel is aware of that," Farhat said.

"So that will change the situation dramatically, and there will be no more freedom of movement for the Israeli air force in the Syrian airspace."

Monday's incident highlighted the dangers posed by the conflicting interests of various powers in the crowded skies over war-torn Syria and threatened to damage relations between Russia and Israel.

The incident was also the worst case of friendly fire between Russia and Syria since Moscow's military intervention in the country in support of President Bashar al-Assad's forces in September 2015.

Since intervening in Syria's war, Russia has generally turned a blind eye to Israeli attacks inside the country.

Israel has carried out about 200 air raids in the last two years, according to Israeli officials.

For several years, Israel and Russia have maintained a special hotline to prevent their air forces from clashing in the skies over Syria. Israeli military officials have previously praised its effectiveness.

A dispute between Israel and Russia could restrict Israel's ability to mount air raids inside Syria on what it considers the greatest threat to its security from the Syria conflict: the build-up of Iranian forces or Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters.</s>MOSCOW (REUTERS) - Russia will supply an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria within two weeks, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday (Sept 24), a week after Russia blamed Israel for indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military plane in Syria.

The crash which killed 15 Russian service members had forced Moscow to take "adequate retaliatory measures to increase the safety of Russian military fighting international terrorism in Syria," Shoigu said in a televised address.

"A modern S-300 air defence missile system will be transferred to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks," he said. The system will "significantly increase the Syrian army's combat capabilities," he said.

Russia, which fights in Syria to support the government, has said Syria shot the IL-20 surveillance plane down by mistake shortly after Israeli jets hit a nearby target. Russia blamed Israel for creating dangerous conditions that caused the crash.

Israel, which has struck Syria scores of times during the seven-year war, has said it will work to improve "deconfliction"of its missions with Russian forces, but will not halt them. It has long lobbied Moscow not to provide the S-300 to Syria.

Shoigu said Russia will equip Syrian anti-aircraft units with Russian tracking and guidance systems in order to identify Russian aircraft.

Russia in April had hinted that it would supply the S-300 to President Bashar al-Assad despite Israeli objections.

The missile system, originally developed by the Soviet military, but since modernised and available in several versions with significantly different capabilities, fires missiles from trucks and is designed to shoot down military aircraft and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Israel says its air strikes on Syria are not a threat to Russia's ally Assad, but that it must carry them out to halt arms shipments to Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. It has made repeated efforts to persuade Moscow not to sell S-300s to Syria, as it fears this would hinder its aerial capability.</s>Moscow, Sep 24 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Monday about his decision to strengthen Syria’s air defence, including providing it with an S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

“Both sides noted readiness for further joint efforts to achieve long-term normalization in Syria, restoration of its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” a Kremlin statement said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia will supply an S-300 air defence system and identification, friend or foe equipment to Syria within two weeks after its Il-20 surveillance plane was mistakenly downed by Syria’s S-200 system last week.

In areas adjacent to Syria over the Mediterranean, Russia will carry out radio-electronic suppression of satellite navigation, airborne radars and communications systems of combat aircraft attempting to attack facilities on the Syrian territory, Shoigu said.

The Russian Defence Ministry has said that the Il-20 plane with 15 servicemen on board was shot down by mistake on September 17 by a Syrian missile due to a simultaneous Israeli air strike that confused Syria’s S-200 air defence system.

The Israeli military rejected the accusation that its jets deliberately used the Il-20 as a shield and led to its downing.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow’s decision to strengthen Syria’s air defence was made after week-long discussions between the leadership of the country and military experts.

He said that the deployment of the S-300 system in Syria does not target a third country.
Russian officials state that the country will send S-300 air-defense missile system to Syria within two weeks following the downing of Russian aircraft in Syria. Russia also stated it will commence jamming radar and satellite signals of planes that attack Syrian territory from the Mediterranean.