26 December 2018•Update: 27 December 2018
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW
Russia's Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused the Israeli Air Forces of striking civilian airplanes landing at the Damascus and Beirut airports.
Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said six Israeli F-16 fighter jets used 16 air GBU-39 air bombs in the attack on Tuesday night.
Fourteen bombs were destroyed by Syria's air defense system but two hit the logistic center of a Syrian army brigade wounding three servicemen, he added.
"The provocative actions of the Israeli Air Forces on the evening of Dec. 25, 2018, when six F-16 aircraft, while in the airspace of neighboring Lebanon, struck the territory of Syria, creating a direct threat to two passenger aircraft.
"To prevent a tragedy, the use of the Syrian air defense and electronic warfare was limited, which allowed air traffic controllers in Damascus to divert the passenger planes from a dangerous area and send them to the alternate Hmeimim airport," Konashenkov said.
In September, a Russian Il-20 military plane was struck in a similar attack, killing 15 servicemen on board.
That day several Israeli F-16s entered Syrian airspace with a view to striking Syrian military targets in the northwestern Latakia province.
When Syria’s S-200 air-defense system responded to the breach, Israeli F-16 hid behind the Russian plane which was hit by a Syrian missile.
Shortly afterward, Moscow -- blaming Israel for the incident -- announced its decision to provide Damascus with the more advanced S-300 defense system.
