Russia: Israel downing of military plane ‘cowardly’
Tehran (KNA) - Russia says Israel’s downing of a Russian military aircraft over the Syrian airspace earlier this month was a “cowardly” and “unprofessional” act in a yet fresh sign that shows tensions between Moscow and Tel Aviv over the incident remains strong.
"The tragedy occurred on September 17 following erroneous, unprofessional, and cowardly actions" by the Israeli military, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Italy's Panorama magazine on Thursday.
The remarks followed comments from Damascus warning that Israel should think twice before seeking to strike targets within the Syrian territory again.
Israel, "which is accustomed to launching many aggressions under different pretexts, will have to make accurate calculations if it thinks of attacking Syria again," Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad said on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
A day earlier, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had said that Moscow would provide the Arab country with a modern version of its S-300 missile defense system within two weeks. Shoigu also said Russia would be blocking satellite navigation, airborne radar, and communication systems of combat aviation in the eastern Mediterranean, which could prevent Israel from carrying out strikes off the Syrian coast.
Source: PressTV