Russian plane with 14 servicemen aboard vanishes from radar off Syria: Moscow

A Russian Il-20 plane is thought to have been accidentally shot down by Syrian artillery trying to fend off Israeli missile attack.

A Russian Il-20 surveillance aircraft, similar to the PC-3 Orions used by Australia's air force for maritime surveillance. Picture: Russian MoDSource: Supplied

A Russian plane carrying 14 servicemen has vanished from radar over the Mediterranean Sea as Syria came under attack by Israeli missiles, Moscow’s defence ministry said.

“Connection has been lost with the crew of a Russian Il-20 plane over the Mediterranean Sea 35km from the Syrian coast as it was returning to the Hmeimim air base,” the Russian Defence Ministry said, adding that the jet had gone off the radar around 11pm Monday night (5.00am AEST).

A US official told CNN the plane was accidentally shot down by extensive Syrian anti-aircraft artillery which was aimed at the missiles.

The Israelis have previously fired on a number of targets in the coastal province of Latakia, a Syrian stronghold near the Russian airbase to which the Il-20 was returning.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that the Ministry of Defence specified that the plane disappeared during the Israeli attack.

“The mark of IL-20 went off the radars disappeared during the attack of four Israeli F-16 aircraft on Syrian targets in the province of Latakia,” the ministry said.

RIA Novosti news agency, citing a security source, said that Syrian anti-defence systems had countered a rocket attack.

Syrian state media has also confirmed that Latakia came under attack from “enemy missiles” and its defence batteries had responded.

The official told CNN the US found out about the incident because Syrian forces broadcast an emergency search and rescue call on an international frequency. A second country sent a direct message to the US about the circumstances of the incident and the type of aircrft involved, the official said.

In December 2016, a Russian plane carrying dozens of Red Army choir singers, dancers and musicians crashed into the Black Sea on the way to Syria, killing all 92 people on board.

In March this year, a Russian military transport plane crashed when coming in to land at the Hmeymim base, killing all 39 people on board.

Multiple countries have military operations underway around Syria, with forces on the ground or launching strikes from the air or from ships in the Mediterranean.

In some cases, those countries are backing opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Hotlines are in place for those countries to share operational information on their deployments, but diplomats and military planners say there is still a high risk of one state inadvertently striking another country’s forces.

With AFP, Reuters