Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called the downing of a Russian military plane by Syria “a chain of tragic, accidental circumstances,” tamping down what could have turned into a tense situation with Israel.

Fifteen people aboard the Russian reconnaissance jet died when the Syrians shot it down, responding to an Israeli missile strike.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, that Israel “bears full responsibility” and that Russia had the right to retaliate.

But Putin stepped in, calling it “a chain of tragic, accidental circumstances.” He said Russia would respond by “taking additional steps to protect our servicemen and assets in Syria.” He said “everyone will notice” those steps.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his sorrow at the loss of Russian lives and blamed Syria for the incident.

The Israeli military said its jets were targeting a Syrian military facility supplying arms to the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah.

Israeli warning

Israel said it had warned Russia of the airstrike in advance, and its jets were already back in Israeli airspace when Syria fired its missile.

The Russian defense ministry said Israel’s warning came less than a minute before the airstrike. It accused the Israelis of using the Russian plane as a cover to avoid Syrian air defense systems.

While Putin did not appear to blame Israel outright for causing the Russian plane to be shot down, the Kremlin said it told Netanyahu that Israel had violated Syrian sovereignty and urged it “not to let such situations happen again.”

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that, based on what he had been told, Syria shot down the Russian plane. He called the deaths of those aboard “a very sad thing.”

Trump took a moment to say the United States has done a “tremendous job” in helping eradicate Islamic State from Syria and said “we are very close to finishing that job.”

Putin is striving to maintain his good relationship with Israel, while continuing to back the Syrian government in its fight against the rebels.

Russia also has healthy relations with Iran, Israel’s archenemy.

Israel has said it will not allow any permanent Iranian military presence inside Syria and has looked to the Russians to help keep Iranian-backed forces away from the Israeli-Syrian frontier.
…

The U.N. secretary-general has welcomed an agreement reached Monday between the presidents of Russia and Turkey to create a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria’s Idlib region, saying it should “avert” a full-scale military operation and provide a reprieve for some three-million civilians.”The secretary-general calls on all the parties in Syria to cooperate in the implementation of the agreement and ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access in all areas through the most direct routes,” António Guterres’ spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. 

​Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Monday to create a 15- to 20-kilometer (9- to 12-mile) demilitarized zone inside what is already a de-escalation zone. 

Putin said Russian and Turkish forces would enforce the demilitarized zone, which would see the removal of the rebels’ heavy weapons and the “withdrawal of all radical fighters” from Idlib, including the terrorist al-Nusra Front, by mid-October. 

The United Nations has been sounding the alarm bell on Idlib for weeks, warning of a humanitarian catastrophe if the Syrian government followed through on its plans to clear the last rebel stronghold. The U.N. estimates some 15,000 fighters are mixed in among the civilian population. 

More than a million of Idlib’s residents are displaced from other parts of Syria and have sought safety in the de-escalation zone. Turkey, which already shelters more than 3 million Syrian refugees, feared a massive exodus into its territory if nearby Idlib was attacked. 

“Of course, everybody, especially the 3 million civilians in Idlib, want to know how long this agreement is going to last,” U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told reporters. “Is it simply a temporary arrangement or can it provide the basis through which the threat of a massive military onslaught on Idlib can be removed on a more permanent basis?”

“Russia alongside other Astana guarantors has and continues to undertake tremendous efforts to see that situation around Idlib resolved through negotiations and that civilians will not suffer,” Russia’s U.N. envoy, Vassily Nebenzia said.  Russia, Iran and Turkey make up the group referred to as the Astana guarantors. They oversee what were originally four de-escalation zones in Syria, but of which Idlib is the last remaining.  

Nebenzia, who spoke during a regular meeting of the Security Council on Syria, added that a key part of the deal is a reaffirmation “to combat terrorism in Syria in all of its forms and manifestations.” 

The newly appointed U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement, Ambassador James Jeffrey, called on all parties to commit to a lasting cease-fire and to take immediate steps to advance the peace process.  “The only way forward is a genuine and inclusive political solution,” Jeffrey told the council.

Russian fighter jet downed

“We hope that this agreement is expeditiously implemented,” U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said in his briefing to the council. He said international humanitarian law must be respected and sustained humanitarian access allowed. But he warned that as the crisis in Idlib has been averted, there have been worrying escalations elsewhere.

“This week fresh airstrikes were reported in Damascus  that the Syrian government attributes to Israel; Israel has not commented,” de Mistura noted. “And overnight, a Russian military aircraft was downed, killing 15 servicemen.” The Russian jet was hit by Syrian anti-aircraft fire.

Israel has expressed “sorrow” for the downing of the Russian jet, but added that it holds the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah responsible for the incident.

“Overnight, Israel Defense Forces fighter jets targeted a facility from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon,” an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement. 
…

Israeli forces opened fire during a demonstration in the northern Gaza Strip near a border crossing Tuesday, killing two Palestinian protesters and

injuring 46 others, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Israeli military had no initial knowledge of any casualties or that live fire had been used, a spokeswoman said.

Israel was marking the Yom Kippur fast day from dusk on Tuesday, when very few officials are available for comment.

Many youths burned tires and hurled stones at Israeli security forces, local residents said. A doctor at Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital said both men were hit by live ammunition, one in the chest and the other in the back. Three of the wounded were hit by bullets.

Earlier, two other men found dead near the site of an Israeli missile strike at the coastal strip’s border with Israel on Monday were identified as Palestinian cousins, family members said.

The Israeli military said it had attacked a group suspected of tampering with the border fence.

Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders and has fought three wars there in the past decade against Hamas Islamist militants that control the territory.

With Egypt, Israel has imposed a blockade that the World Bank says has left Gaza’s economy in crisis, leaving its 2 million people with limited access to health care, clean water and electricity.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled for several years and Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, where the Palestinians hope to establish an independent state, have expanded. 

The border between Gaza and Israel has been the scene of weekly Palestinian demonstrations since March 30. At least 181 Palestinians have been killed in the protests, according to Palestinian health officials.

The Israeli army says it is defending its border against rioting protesters who have sought to breach the fence and enter Israel.
…