Igor konashenkov added that Israel has caused the incident, in violation of the 2015 international convention on prevention of such incidents.

He continued, 'Israel only informed Russia about one minute before the start of its air strike against Syria, and the Israeli pilot, flying under cover of the Russian plane, caused the aircraft to be targeted by the Syrian air-defense.'

According to IRNA, the Russian Defense Ministry said last Tuesday that the Syrian air defense provoked by the Israeli je fighters mistakenly targeted the Russian jet in the Mediterranean Sea's sky at a distance of 35 kilometers from Syria on its way back to Hamimim Air Base in the province of Latakia.

According to preliminary reports, at the time of the disappearance of the Russian reconnaissance aircraft, four Israeli F-16s were attacking the Syrian infrastructures in the province of Latakia.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Israeli pilots had used the Russian aircraft as a shield and exposed it to the attack by the Syrian Army's defense system.