Vladimir Putin's Telephone Conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu at the latter’s initiative.



The Prime Minister of Israel again expressed his condolences over the loss of military service members on board the Russian Il-20 aircraft that was downed on September 17 in Syria.

The two leaders continued discussing the circumstances of the incident considering that the information presented by the Israeli military on the operation of their aircraft over Syrian territory differs from the conclusions of the Russian Defence Ministry. Russia proceeds from the premise that the actions of the Israeli Air Force were the main cause of the tragedy.

Vladimir Putin emphasised that Russia’s decisions to bolster the combat capabilities of Syrian air defences are appropriate at this juncture and primarily intended to thwart any potential threat to the lives of the Russian military service members fulfilling the tasks of combatting international terrorism.