Israeli Cabinet Orders Continuation of Ops in Syria, in Coordination With Russia

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on the move, explained that the Israeli military presence in Syria is aimed against the entrenchment of Iran.

"We will continue to act to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in Syria and we will continue the military coordination between the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the Russian army. I have reached an agreement with President Putin that working groups … will meet soon to achieve this goal," Netanyahu told reporters on Tuesday.

The statement echoes the words of Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who earlier stated that his country won’t stop carrying out operations in Syria, despite the tragic Il-20 incident.

READ MORE: Russian MoD: Israel Violated Agreement With Russia to Prevent Incidents in Syria

The tensions between Russia and Israel escalated after a Russian Il-20 aircraft carrying 15 servicemen was downed near Hmeymim Airbase in Syria. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Israeli Air Force jets that were attacking Syrian targets used the Russian plane as cover, subjecting it to a strike by the Syrian air defenses.

President #Putin: Russia proceeds from the premise that the actions of the Israeli Air Force were the main cause of the tragedy of the Russian Il-20 plane https://t.co/1iYuBnXTzS pic.twitter.com/G49HWwIo2N

— Russia in RSA 🇷🇺 (@EmbassyofRussia) 25 сентября 2018 г.

​Addressing the incident, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Moscow would deliver S-300 air defense systems to Syria within two weeks in order to protect Russian servicemen from "ill-considered actions."

Previously,Russia had refrained from supplying S-300 systems to Damascus in order to prevent further the escalation of conflict in the region.