Russia: Plane downed by Syrian missiles after Israelis used it as 'cover' - MoD

The Russian Defence Ministry stated that a Russian Il-20 jet was downed by the Syrian Air Defence Forces after an Israeli F-16 used it as cover during its missile attack on Syrian targets. Defence Ministry Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov made the statement during a press briefing in Moscow on Tuesday.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, four Israeli F-16 fighter jets attacked Syrian targets near the Latakia city on Monday evening, after approaching them from the Mediterranean Sea.
Konashenko said that the Israeli fighter jets approached at a low altitude and "deliberately created a dangerous situation for other aircraft and vessels in the area." He went on to say that "the bombing was carried out near the location of the French Navy's frigate 'Auvergne' and in the immediate vicinity of the IL-20 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces [VKS] that was coming to landing. The Israeli pilots used the Russian jet as cover and set it up to be targeted by the Syrian Air Defence Forces [SyADF]. As a result, the Il-20, whose radar cross-section is much larger than that of the F-16, was downed by an S-200 system missile."
The Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson stressed that the Israeli aviation control and F-16 pilots must have known about the presence of the Russian Il-20 jet in the area, noting that "nevertheless, they deliberately went ahead with this provocation." He added that Israel did not warn Russia about the planned operation, and that the warning came less than one minute before the strike, which he said "did not leave time to move the Russian plane to a safe area."
Konashenko said that the Russian Defence Ministry regards "the Israeli provocative actions as hostile," and that Moscow "[reserves] the right to an adequate response."