Russia has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council as Moscow said it would consider supplying S-300 missile systems to Syria following US-led strikes.

"Russia convenes an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss aggressive actions of the US and its allies," President Vladimir Putin said in a statement on Saturday published on the Kremlin website.

"The current escalation of the situation around Syria has a devastating impact on the whole system of international relations," he added.

US, British and French forces pounded Syria with more than 100 missiles early on Saturday in response to a poison gas attack that killed dozens of people last week, in the biggest intervention by Western powers against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Putin said the US actions in Syria made the humanitarian catastrophe worse and caused pain for civilians.

"Russia in the most serious way condemns the attack on Syria where Russian military servicemen help the legitimate government to fight terrorism," Putin said.

Moscow may consider supplying S-300 surface to-air missile systems to Syria and "other countries", Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoi told a televised briefing on Saturday.

Russia had "refused" supplying those missiles to Syria a few years ago, he added, "taking into account the pressing request of some of our Western partners".

Following the US-led strikes, however, "we consider it possible to return to examination of this issue not only in regard to Syria but to other countries as well," Rudskoi said.

Syria's air defence system, which mostly consists of systems made in the Soviet Union, has intercepted 71 of the missiles fired on Saturday by the US, British and French forces, he added.

"In the past year and a half Russia has fully restored Syria's air defence system and continues to further upgrade it," Rudskoi said. </s> Russia announced Monday that it will supply the Syrian government with modern S-300 missile defense systems following last week's downing of a Russian plane by Syria, a friendly fire incident that send regional tensions over the war-torn country soaring.

The Russian military aircraft was downed by Syrian government missile defense systems, killing all 15 people on board. Russia laid the blame squarely on Israel, saying that its fighter jets had pushed the Russian plane into the line of Syria's fire. Shortly before the downing, Israeli strikes had hit targets inside Syria, reportedly preventing an arms shipment going to Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.

Russia launched its campaign in Syria to support President Bashar Assad in 2015 and though the involvement turned the tide of war in favor of Syrian government forces, Moscow has since played a careful balancing act, maintaining good ties both with Iran and Israel.

For its part, Israel is wary of Iran's growing influence in Syria, bringing its archenemy closer to its borders.

Last week's downing has put Russia's relationship with Israel to a test.

President Vladimir Putin struck a reconciliatory note, blaming the downing on a "chain of tragic, fatal circumstances." But the Russian military came out on Sunday, renewing the accusations against Israel.

Russian officials said Syria's outdated S-200 systems weren't sophisticated enough to identify the Russian plane as a friendly one.

Monday's statement from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia will send the newer S-300 missile defense systems to Syria within the next two weeks. Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300, which Israel feared Syria could use against it.

Shoigu said Russia is now going to go ahead with the shipment because "the situation has changed, and it's not our fault." The supply of S-300s to Syria will "calm down some hotheads" whose actions "pose a threat to our troops," he said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian news agencies that supplying S-300 to Syria is Russia's "own right" and expressed confidence that this would not hurt Russia's ties with Israel.

The Kremlin said Russia's decision was not targeted against anyone and only serves to protect Russian troops in Syria. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that recent findings by the Russian military showed an Israeli jet "deliberately" pushed the Russian Il-20 into the line of fire, enabling its downing.

Russia's stepped-up role in Syria enabled Assad's forces, which had been losing ground to the armed opposition, to gain the upper hand in the war and reclaim wide swaths of territory held by the rebels.

In recent months, the government recaptured many areas that were controlled by the opposition. And last week, Russia reached a deal with Turkey that averted a Russian-backed offensive against the northwestern province of Idlib, one of the last areas out of government control.

Idlib, controlled by a mix of radical groups and Turkey-backed armed opposition, overlooks the Syrian coast where Russia military and air bases are located, and have reportedly come under rebel fire.

Shortly after Moscow's announcement, the Syrian president's office said Assad received a call from Vladimir Putin and that the two discussed the latest developments, including the Idlib deal and the delivery of S-300s.

According to the statement, Putin reiterated that Russia holds Israel responsible for the downing of the Russian plane. The Russian president also informed Assad of the S-300 delivery, it said.

Assad expressed his condolences for the deaths of the Russian airmen, saying they were "carrying out noble mission, fighting terrorism in Syria."

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report. </s> • Russia plans to immediately arm the Syria with S-300 anti-aircraft systems in response to the accidental shootdown of a Russian aircraft by Syrian forces during an Israeli airstrike last week.
• Russia refrained from giving this system to the Syrians in the past due to Israeli protests, but Moscow now blames Israel for the deaths of 15 Russian crew members.
• In addition to the provision of S-300s, the Russian defense ministry warned that its forces will target the electronic systems of any military aircraft that launches strikes on Syrian targets, a risky move likely to escalate regional tensions.

Russia has decided to arm its Syrian partners with an advanced anti-aircraft weapons system and to target the electronic systems of any military aircraft that launches strikes in Syrian territory, the Russian defense ministry said Monday in response to losing a spy plane last week.

This incident "has pushed us to adopt adequate response measures directed at boosting the security of Russian troops," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu explained. Last week, using older S-200 surface-to-air missile defenses, Syrian air defense forces accidentally shot down a Russian Il-20 electronic intelligence plane during an Israeli missile attack. The incident killed 15 Russians.

Russia intends to "transfer the modern S-300 air defense system to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks," he said. "In regions near Syria over the Mediterranean Sea, there will be radio-electronic suppression of satellite navigation, onboard radar systems and communication systems of military aviation attacking objects on Syrian territory."

"We are certain that the realization of these measures will cool the 'hot heads' and will keep them from poorly thought-out actions which threaten our servicemen," Shoigu concluded in a warning to both Israel, which claims to have conducted 200 strikes in Syria in the past year and a half, and perhaps the US and its coalition partners, which have on more than one occasion struck Syria for the use of chemical weapons.

The Kremlin insisted that the weapons delivery was not directed at any third country.

There were rumors in late April, just weeks after the US, Britain, and France launched strikes on Syria from both air and sea, about the possible provision of Russian S-300 anti-missile batteries to the Syrian regime. Russia has largely refrained from arming the Syrian air defense forces with S-300 due to protests from Israel, which would come under threat from the improved defenses.

"At the request of the Israeli side, in 2013 we suspended the delivery of S-300 systems that were ready for the dispatch, while the Syrian military had undergone training. Now the situation has changed, and we are not to blame," Shoigu said Monday.



Russia has already sold the system to Iran, much to Israel's dismay given the weapon's ability to threaten Israeli air superiority and complicate air strikes in the event of a conflict. In Syria, Russian troops already operate advanced S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft systems to defend their own ships and planes, but this would be a first for the Syrian air defense forces.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned earlier this year that Israel will respond with force if anyone shoots at Israeli planes. "One thing needs to be clear: If someone shoots at our planes, we will destroy them," he explained. </s> In a warning seen as being directed at Israel's Air Force, Moscow says it will also jam satellite signals

Russia is to supply Syria with an advanced air defence system in response to the shooting down of one of Moscow's planes that killed 15 servicemen and was initially blamed on Israel.

In an indirect warning at Israel, President Vladimir Putin's military said it would also start to jam the radar and satellite signals of planes that attack Syrian territory from the Mediterranean.

The Russian deaths last week have forced Moscow to take "adequate retaliatory measures to increase the safety of its military fighting international terrorism in Syria," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised address on Monday.

"A modern S-300 air defence missile system will be transferred to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks," he said, significantly increasing the combat capabilities of President Bashar Al Assad's forces.

Israel, which has struck Syria scores of times during the seven-year war, said after the incident that it would work to improve "deconfliction" of its missions, but would not halt them. It has long lobbied Moscow not to provide the S-300 system to Syria.

The decision to supply the S-300 technology was taken by President Putin because of the downing of the Russian aircraft, the defence minister said.

The Russian IL-20 surveillance plane crashed near Latakia in northern Syria.

Russia has said Syria shot the plane down shortly after Israeli jets struck targets in the area, but accused Israel of creating dangerous conditions by failing to give sufficient advance notice.

The Russian Defence Ministry initially blamed the plane's loss on Israel, saying its fighter jets pushed the plane into the line of fire. Mr Putin then sought to defuse tensions, mentioning "a chain of tragic accidental circumstances".

Last week, Russia's foreign ministry said Israel must provide Moscow with more information about the downing of the military aircraft near the Syrian coast. However, the Kremlin also said Russia's decision was not targeted against anyone and only serves to protect Russian troops in Syria.

Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300s, which Israel feared Syria could use against it. Mr Shoigu said Russia is now going to go ahead with the shipment because "the situation has changed". Russian officials say Syria's outdated S-200 systems aren't sophisticated enough to identify the Russian plane as a friendly one.

"We are convinced that these measures will calm down some hotheads and keep them from careless actions which pose a threat to our troops," Mr Shoigu said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told journalists that the decision to supply the weapons was "not directed at any third country". "Russia needs to increase safety of its military and it should be clear for everyone," he said.

But he also repeated Moscow's accusations that Israel was to blame for the crash: "No doubt that according to our military experts, deliberate action by Israeli pilots was the reason for the tragedy and this cannot but harm our (Russia-Israeli) ties."

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Read more:

Assad blames Israel over downing of Russian plane

US confirms Israeli missiles struck Iranian storage facility in Latakia

Vladimir Putin blames downing of Russian plane in Syria on 'chance events'

Russian military jet carrying 14 servicemen vanishes off radar

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Russia launched its campaign in Syria to support President Al Assad in 2015, and though the involvement turned the tide of war in favour of Syrian government forces, Moscow has since tried to play a careful balancing act, maintaining good ties both with Iran and Israel.

For its part, Israel is wary of Iran's growing influence in Syria, which is bringing its archenemy closer to its borders. Last week's downing has put Russia's relationship with Israel to the test.

Russia's stepped-up role in Syria enabled President Assad's forces, which had been losing ground to the armed opposition, to gain the upper hand and reclaim significant territory held by the rebels.

In recent months, the government recaptured many areas that were controlled by the opposition. And last week, Russia reached a deal with Turkey that averted a Russian-backed offensive against the northwestern province of Idlib, one of the last areas out of government control. </s> MOSCOW (REUTERS) - Russia will supply an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria within two weeks, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday (Sept 24), a week after Russia blamed Israel for indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military plane in Syria.

The crash which killed 15 Russian service members had forced Moscow to take "adequate retaliatory measures to increase the safety of Russian military fighting international terrorism in Syria," Shoigu said in a televised address.

"A modern S-300 air defence missile system will be transferred to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks," he said. The system will "significantly increase the Syrian army's combat capabilities," he said.

Russia, which fights in Syria to support the government, has said Syria shot the IL-20 surveillance plane down by mistake shortly after Israeli jets hit a nearby target. Russia blamed Israel for creating dangerous conditions that caused the crash.

Israel, which has struck Syria scores of times during the seven-year war, has said it will work to improve "deconfliction"of its missions with Russian forces, but will not halt them. It has long lobbied Moscow not to provide the S-300 to Syria.

Shoigu said Russia will equip Syrian anti-aircraft units with Russian tracking and guidance systems in order to identify Russian aircraft.

Russia in April had hinted that it would supply the S-300 to President Bashar al-Assad despite Israeli objections.

The missile system, originally developed by the Soviet military, but since modernised and available in several versions with significantly different capabilities, fires missiles from trucks and is designed to shoot down military aircraft and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Israel says its air strikes on Syria are not a threat to Russia's ally Assad, but that it must carry them out to halt arms shipments to Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. It has made repeated efforts to persuade Moscow not to sell S-300s to Syria, as it fears this would hinder its aerial capability. </s> Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon states that Israel does not want Syria to receive Russia’s S-300 surface-to-air missile systems and has channels of cooperation with Moscow to try to prevent such supplies. This claim does not comply with the recent statements of Tel-Aviv.

“If the Russian government asks us whether to supply the S-300 or not, we would like these systems not to fall into the hands of the Syrians. Earlier, when such questions arose, we used the appropriate channels to discuss them with the Russian leadership. Now it also receives signals from our authorities about the undesirability of such supplies,” former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who left office in 2016, said in an interview.

Yaalon’s successor, Avigdor Lieberman, has repeatedly threatened to destroy the S-300 systems if Damascus uses them against Israeli aircraft that regularly strike targets in the neighboring country.

Yaalon himself believes Israeli forces are ready to bypass modern air defense systems.

“You know that the entire Syrian air defense system is based on Soviet or Russian equipment — SA-2, SA-5, SA-17, SA-22 [NATO reporting names for S-75, S-200, Buk and Pantsir systems]. The S-300 is a more powerful system, and we do not like it to appear in Syria, but just as we are ready and able to overcome the entire existing air defense of Syria, we should be ready to deal with the S-300,” Yaalon said.

Mutual understanding between Israeli and Russian army has significantly increased over last decades, he noted.

“We are glad that in the past there were times of the Cold War when Israeli pilots were confronted by Soviet pilots or SA-2, SA-3 [S-125] air defense systems under Soviet control. Since 1991, we have the official, open relations. That does not mean that we look at all the same questions, but we have channels to talk with each other… Therefore, we manage to find mutual understanding on many issues,” Yaalon stated.

On April 14, following US-led strikes on Syria, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff Col. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy said Russia might consider supplies of the S-300 air defense systems to Damascus.

After the attack, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Sputnik that Moscow was no longer bound by a moral duty not to supply Damascus with S-300 systems after Western strikes on Syria on April 14.

Back in 2010, Damascus contracted the supplies of S-300 systems, the contract was canceled at the request of Israel, which feared for its airspace.

The so-called hotline that has been used by the Israeli and Russian military in Syria over the past three years has helped prevent a Russian jet that almost entered Israel’s airspace from potentially being shot down, former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told Sputnik.

“[The ‘hotline’] saves lives, since it helps to avoid misunderstandings. At the beginning of the Russian operation in Syria, there was a case when a Russian pilot had almost crossed [Israel’s] border in the Golan Heights. If it had been a Syrian jet, we would have downed it. But we realized it was a Russian jet and used the ‘hotline’ to communicate with the Hmeymim [Russian airbase in Syria]. ‘Your jet is about to enter our airspace. Attention!’ The matter was solved immediately,” Yaalon stated.

Yaalon was one of the developers of the information-sharing mechanism, which has been preventing aerial clashes and other dangerous incidents between the two countries since 2015 when Moscow launched its aerial anti-terrorist campaigns in Syria.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting against opposition groups and terrorist organizations. In September 2015, Russia launched aerial campaigns against terrorists in Syria at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russia and Israel have been in contact since the beginning of the operation and developed a mechanism to avoid accidental collisions between the forces of the two countries.

In September 2014, Israel shot down a Syrian fighter jet which had infiltrated Israeli-controlled airspace over the Golan Heights.

Israeli-Syrian relations are strained, particularly over the disputed region of Golan Heights. Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the territory in 1981. The international community has not recognized the Israeli annexation. </s> Russia to provide Syria with new S-300 air defense missiles

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia announced Monday it will supply Syria's government with sophisticated S-300 air defense systems after last week's downing of a Russian plane by Syria forces responding to an Israeli air strike, a friendly fire incident that stoked regional tensions.

The Russian Il-20 military reconnaissance aircraft was downed by Syrian air defenses that mistook it for an Israeli aircraft, killing all 15 people on board. Russia laid the blame on Israel, saying Israeli fighter jets were hiding behind the Russian plane, an account denied by the Israeli military.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the S-300 missile defense systems will be delivered to Damascus within two weeks. Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300s, which Israel feared Syria could use against it.

Shoigu went on television to say that Russia is now going to go ahead with the shipment because "the situation has changed, and it's not our fault."

Shortly after his statement, Putin got a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that the Russian move was "aimed primarily at fending off any potential threat to the lives of Russian servicemen," according to the Kremlin."

Netanyahu's office said in its readout of the call that the Israeli prime minister "stressed once again that the responsibility for the unfortunate incident lay on the Syrian army that shot it down and on Iran, whose aggression is destabilizing the region."

In an apparent reference to the S-300, the statement said "transferring advanced weapons to irresponsible hands will increase the dangers in the region," adding that Israel will "continue to defend its security and interests."

Shoigu announced that Russia would also equip Syrian air defenses with a new automated control system to enhance its efficiency and help identify Russian aircraft. On top of that, the Russian military will start using electronic countermeasures to jam any aircraft that would try to launch attacks off Syria's coast.

"We are convinced that these measures will calm down some hotheads and keep them from careless actions which pose a threat to our troops," Shoigu said.

The Israeli military has denied responsibility for the downing of the Russian jet, insisting Sunday that Israeli jets did not hide behind other aircraft and that they were in Israeli airspace when the Russian plane was downed.

The Russian military angrily rejected those claims. On Monday, Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov produced data collected by Russian air defense systems in Syria purportedly indicating that one of Israeli F-16 fighter jets was flying close to the much larger Russian plane, resulting in the Syrian missile homing in on the bigger target.

Konashenkov also said that data showed that the Israeli jets remained over the Mediterranean Sea off Syria's coast after the Russian plane was downed.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton meanwhile said Monday that delivery of the Russian S-300 would be a "significant escalation" in already high tensions in the region, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would raise the matter this week with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the U.N. General Assembly.

"We think introducing the S-300s to the Syrian government would be a significant escalation by the Russians and something that we hope, if these press reports are accurate, they would reconsider," Bolton said.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Ministry Sergei Ryabkov fired back, warning the U.S. against taking "a mentor's tone."

International and regional powers backing various sides in Syria's civil war have been carrying out strikes for years, often using special hotlines to prevent aerial confrontations.

Israel said its warplanes were targeting a Syrian facility involved in arms shipments to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Israel has launched at least 200 strikes at Iranian and Hezbollah facilities in Syria over the past years, and has maintained a hotline with the Russian military to prevent any collisions.

But Shoigu said that the Israeli military warned Russia about last week's strike just one minute before launching it and claimed it was being conducted in Syria's north. Instead, the Israeli jets targeted the western province of Latakia, putting the Russian warplane in the line of fire.

Russian officials said Syria's Soviet-made S-200 systems, one of which downed the Russian plane, weren't sophisticated enough to identify the Russian aircraft as a friendly one.

Russia launched its campaign in support of President Bashar Assad in 2015, eventually turning the tide of war in favor of Syrian government forces. Moscow has tried to maintain good relations with Iran, which is also allied with the Syrian government, and Israel, which is wary of Iran's growing influence in Syria.

The downing of the plane came just hours after Russia announced it had reached a deal with Turkey to avert a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive against the northwestern province of Idlib, controlled by a mix of radical groups and Turkey-backed armed opposition.

Syrian state TV said insurgents shelled a government-controlled crossing east of Idlib on Monday that was reportedly prepared to allow civilians to leave the province.

Concerns are rising in Idlib over the details of the deal and how it will be implemented. The province is home to some 3 million Syrians, half of them displaced by violence in other parts of the country.

Hard-line armed groups have rejected the deal, saying it aims to strip the opposition of weapons and is a victory for Assad's government. On Sunday, tribal leaders and prominent local figures meeting in Idlib said they distrusted Russian mediation, citing Russia's previous cease-fire violations. The conference called on armed groups not to leave the front lines in Syria or hand over their weapons.

Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Aron Heller in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report. </s> Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said Russia will call an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, where it is a permanent member, over Western strikes on Syria.

Putin said the strike on Syrian by the US, UK and France will exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.

"Russia is calling an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss the aggressive actions of the US and its allies," the Kremlin said in a statement.

"Russia severely condemns the attack on Syria where Russian military are helping the lawful government in the fight with terrorism," the Kremlin says.

The United States, France and Britain on Saturday struck targets in Syria with airstrikes in retaliation for an apparent chemical weapons attack outside Damascus by Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"More than 100 cruise missiles and air-to-land missiles were fired by the US, Britain and France from the sea and air at Syrian military and civilian targets," the ministry said in a statement quoted by RIA Novosti news agency, adding that "a significant number" were shot down by Syrian air defences.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian citizens are demonstrating in a landmark square of the Syrian capital, waving victory signs and honking their car horns in a show of defiance.

For breaking news & Instant updates throughout the day </s> Russia has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss US-led airstrikes in Syria, a United Nations diplomat tells CNN. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, the UN diplomat says.
Russia calls for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council as it considers supplying S-300 missile systems to Syria.