President Vladimir Putin sought to lower tensions after a Russian reconnaissance plane was downed mistakenly by Syrian forces fighting off an attack by Israeli warplanes even as his Defense Ministry warned it may respond to “hostile” actions by Israel.
The incident was the result of “a chain of tragic coincidences” and can’t be compared to a 2015 episode in which Turkey downed a Russian warplane, sparking a yearlong breach in ties, Putin told a briefing in Moscow Tuesday. “The Israeli plane didn’t shoot down our plane,” Putin said. The Russian leader said his country will bolster security at its bases in Syria.
