The Russian Il-20 was shot down on September 17, but Syrian President Bashar Assad remained silent for a long time. The politician still sent a telegram to Vladimir Putin with condolences. In the message, he noted that this tragedy will not stop the joint actions of Moscow and Damascus against terrorists. Assad stressed that the incident with the IL-20 is the result of dangerous Israeli actions. "On behalf of the Syrian people, I express my deepest condolences to the Russian people in connection with the fall of the Russian military aircraft IL-20 into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea," SANA quotes the head of the SAR. At the same time, Assad's silence about the tragedy with the Russian plane has left many Russians.

According to the military correspondent of Alexander Kots, Bashar Assad should necessarily express his condolences to the families of the deceased Russian military who defended his country. Connection with the IL-20 disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea around 23:00 Moscow time on Monday, September 17, 35 km from the coast of Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry believes that the Israeli military, under the cover of a Russian reconnaissance aircraft, shot him under attack from the Syrian air defense, without warning about the planned operation of our command.