'We Hope This Won't Happen Again' - IDF on Russian Il-20 Plane Downing

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - The Israel Defense Forces hope that the Syrian military will learn from a tragic "mistake" last September that led to the downing of a Russian warplane, the IDF spokesman Conricus said.

"It was a tragic situation in which Syrian armed forces hit a plane. We hope that Syrians will learn from this mistake and won't repeat it … We hope this won't happen again," the spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters.

Earlier this week, Yacov Livne, the director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Euro-Asia Department dubbed the Russian plane downing "a tragic event" stressing that Israel will do utmost to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

On September 17, a Russian Il-20 spy plane was returning to a base in Latakia when it was accidentally hit by a Syrian missile targeting an Israeli jet. All 15 service members aboard died.

READ MORE: Israel Sheds Light on Contacts With Russian Military After Il-20 Downing

Russia blames Israel for causing friendly fire. It says Israel's warning of an air raid in the area was belated and accuses the IDF fighter of using the Il-20 as a cover. To protect its troops in Syria, Russia has deployed S-300 air defense systems to the base.

Over the last two years, Israel has struck Syria on multiple occasions, claiming that it targets alleged Iran-backed forces, including Hezbollah.