September 17 at 11:00 Moscow time, when returning to the airbase Khmeimim, 35 kilometers from the shore, the Russian Il-20 aircraft disappeared from the radar. The plane with 15 military disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea during a raid of F-16 fighters of the Air Force of Israel. At the same time, rocket launches and so-called "partners" from the French frigate Auvergne.
The attack on Lattakia was carried out both from the air and from the sea. The missile strike was aimed at objects where, according to the "partners", chemical weapons could be produced. This is not the first raid that mirrored the Syrian air defense system. On such raids, "partners" under the existing agreement, should warn the Russian military commissariat in advance. They were warned exactly one minute before the shelling began. The approach to the "aces" purposes of the Israeli Air Force was carried out at low altitude from the Mediterranean Sea. At that time, the Russian Il-20 was landing. He was hit by Syrian air defense forces. That night, industrial facilities in the suburb of Latakia were attacked.
But on May 18, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Harry Cohen said that Israel will take all measures to avoid casualties among Russian citizens. He assured that in Syria the only goal for them is the Iranian presence.
Thus, you can only call this a provocation. The aircraft "deliberately created a dangerous situation for surface ships and aircraft in the area". According to the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the bombing was carried out not far from the location of the French frigate Auvergne and in the immediate vicinity of the IL-20 Russian military aircraft entering the landing. "Covering himself with a Russian plane, Israeli pilots placed him under the fire of Syria's air defense systems," he said. "As a result, the IL-20, whose effective reflective surface is an order of magnitude larger than that of the F-16, was shot down by a S-200 missile ". "The Israeli means of aviation control and the F-16 pilots could not help seeing the Russian plane, since it came in for landing from a height of 5 kilometers. Nevertheless, they deliberately went to this provocation ".
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also blamed the downed Russian aircraft for Israel. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that the actions of Israel are considered as hostile, and therefore the right to retaliatory measures remains for Russia.
A rescue operation was organized in the coastal part of the sea. It was attended by 8 vessels of the Russian Navy. The site of the fall was found off the coast of Syria, 27 kilometers from the village of Banias. On board the Russian ships are already raised fragments of the crew, personal belongings of the military, the wreckage of IL-20. The vessel of project 11982 "Seliger", equipped with uninhabited remote-controlled underwater vehicles "Super gnome" and "RT-2500", which are able to dive to a depth of up to 2,5 thousand meters and navigational and hydroacoustic equipment, went to the place of wreck from the Black Sea.
IL-20 is not a fighter, the aircraft is used for electronic warfare and reconnaissance. In Syria, the IL-20 is used to monitor demilitarized zones. They are equipped with a side-scan radar system, an infrared scanner, optical sensors and a satellite communication system.