Global Geopolitical Series: Israel to defy S-300 threats and airstrike Syria whenever necessary

In the aftermath of the downing of Russian military airplane IL-20 during an Israeli attack on militants inside Syria, Russia has announced that it would deploy advanced missile defense system S300 in the region, which will make it more difficult for foreign operators to take actions in the region without authorization.

The incident happened on the 17th of September. According to Russia, Israel had used the Russian jet IL-20 plane as a cover for their attack and knowingly. As the incident happened: around 19:00 GMT, four Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jets had carried a guided aerial bomb attack on Syrian targets near the city of Latakia. They started their target run at a low altitude from the Mediterranean Sea. A French Frigate, as well as a Russian IL-20 plane, was operating in the region. The Syrian F-16s allegedly used the Russian IL-20 plane, which has far wider reflective area compared to F-16s were shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire from the S-200 missile defense system. There was reportedly 14 military personnel on board of IL-20, who was killed.

Israel has so far denied any involvement and described the incident as an unwanted accident. Prime Minister Netanyahu personally called President Putin to apologize for the incident. However, he has remained defiant over future attacks on militants over Israeli soil. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Netanyahu described the hundreds of Israeli attacks on Syrian soil targeting militants as very effective and said that it would continue as means to deter Iran in the region. He added that further negotiations are expected over Russia’s deployment of the S300.