*MOSCOW: *The Russian army on Friday accused Israel of using a civilianplane carrying 172 passengers as a shield against Syrian anti-aircraft firewhile carrying out airstrikes near Damascus.
Israel’s air force hit targets in the capital area at dawn on Thursdaysparking a Syrian riposte, Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement.
“At the time of the attack by Israeli planes… an Airbus-320 airliner was onapproach to landing… in the death zone of airstrikes and artillery,” itsaid.
The “quick reaction” of air traffic controllers at Damascus airport enabledthe A320 to leave the zone “which was in the firing line of Syriananti-aircraft defence systems.”
The Airbus arriving from Tehran landed safely at the Hmeimim airbaseoperated by Russia in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia, the ministryadded, without naming the airline.
“The recourse to civilian aircraft as cover or to block a riposte by Syrianforces during military air operations has become characteristic of theIsraeli air force,” the ministry charged.
Israeli radars have “a clear view of the situation in the skies aroundDamascus airport,” the Russian army said, accusing Israel of “making atotal mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians”.
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The accusations were made less than a month after Iranian forces admittedmistakenly shooting down a Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737,killing all 176 people on board, just after take-off from Tehran.
The disaster unfolded with Iran on high alert fearing US retaliation toIranian strikes hours earlier on American troops stationed in Iraq.
Thursday’s Israeli strikes killed 23 Syrian and foreign fighters, amonitoring group said.
Israel has carried out repeated strikes in Syria since the civil warerupted in 2011, mainly targeting government forces and their Iranian andHezbollah allies. -APP/AFP
