The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a message about the death of Russian military personnel in Syria.
According to the official representative of the department, General Igor Konashenkov, on September 17, at about 10 p.m., four F-16 fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force attacked Syrian targets near the city of Latakia with guided aerial bombs. “We regard these provocative actions of Israel as hostile. As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen were killed,” said an official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about this incident. At a press conference following negotiations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, journalists asked whether this situation would complicate relations with Israel, drew parallels with Turkey and inquired about retaliatory measures.
“When people die, especially under such tragic circumstances, it is always a disaster. For all of us, for the country, for the loved ones of our fallen comrades. And first of all, I offer condolences to the loved ones of the victims,” the president said.
“As for comparison with the well-known events when our plane was shot down by a Turkish fighter, this is still a different situation,” the head of state is convinced. “Then a Turkish fighter deliberately shot down our plane. Here, rather, it looks like a chain of tragic accidental circumstances. An Israeli plane did not shoot down our plane. But, of course, we still have to seriously look into all this."
“Our attitude to this tragedy is set out in the statement of the Ministry of Defense, which is fully agreed with me,” Vladimir Putin said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly called on Israel to refrain from strikes that threaten the safety of the Russian military
“As for the response actions, they will be aimed, first of all, at additionally ensuring the security of our military personnel and facilities in the Syrian Arab Republic. And these will be steps that everyone will notice,” the president concluded.
The official representative of the Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov spoke about some details of the tragedy. According to him, the fighters approached the targets at low altitude from the side Mediterranean Sea.
Crew mission Russian plane Il-20 in Syria was explained by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Photo: Mikhail Kuzovov/TASS
Wherein Israeli planes deliberately created a dangerous situation for surface ships and aircraft located in the area,” Konashenkov clarified. - The bombing was carried out near the location of the French frigate "Auvergne" and in close proximity to the Il-20 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces that was landing. Using a Russian plane as cover, Israeli pilots exposed it to Syrian air defense fire. As a result, the Il-20, which has an effective reflective surface an order of magnitude greater than that of the F-16, was shot down by an S-200 missile.
According to our Ministry of Defense, Israeli aviation controls and F-16 pilots could not help but see the Russian plane, as it was landing from an altitude of five kilometers. Nevertheless, Konashenkov said, “they deliberately went for this provocation.” Israel did not warn the command of the Russian group of troops in Syria about the planned operation. The hotline received a notification less than a minute before the strike, which prevented the Russian plane from being brought to a safe zone.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said this in a telephone conversation with the head of the Israeli military department, Avigdor Lieberman. According to the Ministry of Defense, Shoigu informed Lieberman that as a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli air force, a tragedy occurred that claimed the lives of 15 Russian military personnel.
“Despite the existing agreements on preventing dangerous incidents with Israel,” Shoigu emphasized, “the command of the Russian group of troops and forces was notified only one minute before the Israeli F-16 strike.”
The actions of the Israeli military department do not correspond to the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership, said Sergei Shoigu
The minister stated that, to quote a message from the Russian military department, “the blame for the downing of the Russian plane and the death of the crew lies entirely with the Israeli side.” “The Russian Ministry of Defense, through various channels of interaction, has repeatedly called on the Israeli side to refrain from attacks on Syrian territory that pose a threat to the safety of Russian military personnel,” the department said in a statement. “The actions of the Israeli military department do not correspond to the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership, and we reserve the right to further retaliatory steps,” the Russian Defense Minister is quoted as saying in a conversation with Avigdor Lieberman.
Shoigu explained what the Il-20 was doing over the Mediterranean Sea. “In the strike zone, to be more precise, between Israeli aviation (four F-16 aircraft) and Syrian territory there was our Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft with a crew of 15 people on board, which was carrying out a reconnaissance mission precisely in the Idlib de-escalation zone to determine the locations storage and collection of unmanned aerial vehicles that fly out of this zone and strike different areas of Syria, the minister explained yesterday at a department board.
He recalled that Russian-Turkish agreements will make it possible to build a new security system in the Idlib de-escalation zone. “After long negotiations, a decision was made, in accordance with which, we believe that from today the process of building a new system, a new security structure for work in the Idlib de-escalation zone has begun,” Shoigu said.
As for his words on the Il-20, Israel’s reaction did not follow immediately. At first, the Israeli Ministry of Defense expressed grief over the death of our crew. In Tel Aviv, however, they added: “which was shot down in the evening by Syrian anti-aircraft fire.” The Israeli Ministry of Defense did not hide the fact that, we quote from the TASS tape, that “at night, Israeli Air Force fighters bombed a facility of the Syrian armed forces, where the production of precise and lethal weapons was carried out, which was to be transferred on behalf of Iran to the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.” Israel's charge d'affaires in Moscow, Keren Cohen-Gat, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday in connection with the situation with the Russian Il-20 aircraft. The conversation lasted about half an hour; the diplomat declined to comment to reporters.
Dossier "RG"
According to open sources, the Il-20 (according to NATO codification: Coot - “Coot”) is a military electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft, created on the basis of the passenger Il-18. It is equipped with a side-scan radar, an IR scanner, optical sensors, and a satellite communication system for real-time data exchange. Produced from 1968 to 1976.
The downed Il-20, according to information from the Ilyushin company, was fully operational and could be operated until 2021. The last time it underwent major renovations was in 2011.
Meanwhile
Putin reminded Netanyahu about Israel's violation of Syrian sovereignty
The Israeli Prime Minister contacted the Russian President by telephone and expressed condolences over the death of 15 servicemen who were on board the downed Il-20. “To conduct a thorough investigation into the tragedy, Benjamin Netanyahu promised to provide detailed information about the actions of Israeli aviation over Syrian territory on this day, which the commander of the Israeli Air Force will soon bring to Moscow," the Kremlin press service reported. Vladimir Putin recalled that such operations of the Israeli Air Force are being undertaken in violation of the sovereignty of Syria. In this case, not Russian-Israeli agreements on preventing dangerous incidents were also observed. As a result, the Il-20 came under fire from Syrian air defense systems. The Russian leader called for such situations not to happen again.
As Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the blame for the downing of the Russian plane and the death of the crew “lies entirely on the Israeli side.” “Despite the existing agreements on preventing dangerous incidents with Israel, the command of the Russian group of forces was notified only one minute before the Israeli F-16 strike,” Shoigu emphasized, promising not to leave the actions of the Israeli Air Force unanswered.
According to the Israeli military, the cause of the death of the Il-20 was the Syrian air defense systems. Moreover, when Syrian air defenses fired missiles that shot down the Il-20, the F-16s were already in Israeli airspace, the IDF said in a statement. “Israel places full responsibility for the incident on the regime of Bashar al-Assad, whose military shot down the Russian plane,” the statement said.
By evening, the leaders of Russia and Israel spoke by telephone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences over the death of the Russian military. He promised to provide Moscow with detailed information about the actions of Israeli aircraft in Syria on Monday. In the near future, the commander of the Israeli Air Force will bring this data to Moscow.
Why Syrian air defense did not identify the Russian Il-20
The problem of friendly fire in the case of long-range anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) arises quite often, notes a leading researcher at the Institute Far East RAS, military expert Vasily Kashin. During the invasion of Iraq in 2003 alone, American Patriots destroyed two friendly fighters (one of their own and a British one) and almost shot down another American one, the expert recalled.
“A common problem for long-range air defense systems is when you have friends and foes in the same sector of airspace,” explained Kashin. According to him, the crew of the air defense system works under conditions of extreme stress, repelling an attack that can be directed directly at them. “Electronic warfare means are used, all this is compounded by the fact that the [S-200] system itself is quite old and not the most advanced. Of course, this increases the likelihood of error,” the military expert concluded.
According to Conflict Intelligence Team, for all the Israeli attacks on Syrian targets, of which, according to the Israeli military, there were more than 200, the Syrians managed to shoot down only one Israeli F-16. CIT also recalls the Pentagon’s statement made in the spring that Syrian air defenses fired mainly after the attack, presumably in order to report on the expenditure of ammunition. “Under these conditions, an accidental hit on a Russian reconnaissance aircraft looks quite likely,” CIT notes.
It is possible that the operators of Syrian air defense systems accompanied the target as a group - that is, they flew the F-16 and Il-20 at the same time, and then launched missiles, notes former deputy commander of the S-200 regiment, editor-in-chief of the Aerospace Frontier magazine Mikhail Khodarenok.
“At the moment of guidance, this group target could be separated, and the homing heads captured the most powerful signal, which is given by the IL-20,” the expert explained.
An RBC source familiar with the investigation into the crash says that it is too early to conclude whether the Israeli fighters tried to hide behind the Russian plane. At the same time, he also notes the possibility of switching the missile’s homing head to a more powerful target.
A similar situation occurred in 2001, when a passenger Tu-154 was unintentionally shot down over the Black Sea by an S-200 missile launched by Ukrainian air defense forces during military exercises, the source recalls. “Then the S-200 missile was aimed precisely at a more brightly contrasting target, because the missile used the homing principle,” he explained. According to him, in any war, 40% of losses are friendly fire.
In August 2008, during the war for South Ossetia Russia lost six aircraft. Half of them were shot down by friendly fire, according to a 2009 Moscow Defense Brief article.
Compared to the F-16, the IL-20 is a ten times more contrasting target, RBC’s interlocutor emphasizes. The accuracy of the targeting fundamentally depends on the complex with which the strike was made, the source added. “With the S-200, the missile in the launcher sees the target and launches on its own. And it accompanies the target throughout the flight,” explained RBC’s interlocutor.
According to him, the friend-or-foe recognition system might not have worked because the S-200 target illumination radar requests data about the target’s identity before launching the missile, and then the missile goes to the target according to the guidance algorithm.
Why is Israel attacking Syria?
On September 17, Israel launched strikes on the province of Latakia for the first time, although it periodically attacks military targets in different areas of Syrian territory. This is due to Tel Aviv's concerns about Tehran's growing influence in Syria, where there are Iranian military advisers and pro-Iranian forces fighting on the side of government forces. In addition, Tehran supports the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is hostile to Israel, recognized in Israel as a terrorist organization, which also fights on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. As Tel Aviv has repeatedly stated, the actions of the Israeli military are aimed at ensuring the security of their country - they will not allow the establishment of a corridor for the supply of weapons to Hezbollah from Iran to Lebanon through the territories of Syria and Iraq.
Most often, the targets of Israeli aviation are military bases, headquarters and weapons depots of pro-Iranian forces located in the suburbs of Damascus. From time to time, the Israeli Air Force also attacks Syrian army positions in the south of the country, areas bordering Israel.
Typically, air attacks and rocket attacks on Syrian territory were not commented on by the Israeli military. The Russian military also preferred not to speak out. To prevent unwanted dangerous incidents, Moscow and Tel Aviv opened special communication channels through which the Israeli military notified their Russian colleagues about planned strikes.
What will happen to relations between Moscow and Tel Aviv
The incident with the crash of the Il-20 over the Mediterranean Sea is more like a “chain of tragic accidental circumstances,” Vladimir Putin said, noting that the Israeli plane did not shoot down the Russian Il-20, and therefore it is incorrect to compare this situation with the incident almost three years ago when the Turkish a fighter shot down a Russian Su-24. “This is still a different situation. Then a Turkish fighter deliberately shot down our plane,” Putin noted.
Vladimir Putin (Photo: Alexey Druzhinin / TASS)
Backstab
A Russian Su-24 fighter jet was shot down over Syrian territory by a Turkish F-16 by an air-to-air missile in November 2015. The crew managed to eject, but only navigator Konstantin Murakhtin survived. The pilot Oleg Peshkov was shot in the air by Syrian militants. Vladimir Putin called this incident a “stab in the back.” It led to a sharp deterioration in relations between Moscow and Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a long time did not admit Ankara’s guilt in the Su-24 crash and even promised to continue to shoot down Russian planes if they violate Turkish airspace. A thaw in bilateral relations began to emerge almost a year later, when Erdogan sent a letter of apology to Putin.
Retaliatory actions, as the Russian leader said, will be aimed at ensuring the security of Russian military personnel and facilities in Syria. The president did not disclose the details of the plan, only noting that “these will be steps that everyone will notice.”
There will be no escalation of tension between Moscow and Tel Aviv - both sides value their relations and need each other, Anton Mardasov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, is sure. “Publicly for the internal audience, the Russian Ministry of Defense expressed a correctly firm position, which should explain the death of Russians,” the expert notes. In addition, Mardasov points out that Israel’s containment of Iran is beneficial to Moscow itself - the confrontation between Tel Aviv and Tehran allows Russia to restrain Iranian ambitions in the Middle East “with the wrong hands.”
Russia is unlikely to take radical and rash measures against Israel, with which it has managed to build effective working relations, agrees senior lecturer at the Higher School of Economics Leonid Isaev. “Moscow managed to find a common language with Tel Aviv and come to an understanding of the interests of each party not only in Syria, but also in the Middle East region as a whole - and this has worked flawlessly so far,” explains the expert. In his opinion, it is not profitable for Russia to open a new front of confrontation now.
Will the incident speed up the transfer of the S-300 to Damascus?
The incident with the downed Il-20 is unlikely to become a reason for the supply of S-300 air defense systems to the Syrian army, which Tel Aviv categorically opposes, says Kirill Semenov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council. In his opinion, the S-300 “is unlikely to completely cover the Syrian sky,” and the transfer of these systems to Damascus will only be another reason for Israel to strike military targets of pro-Iranian forces in Syria. “The installation of the S-300 in Syria will only change the paradigm of the Israeli Air Force’s actions, which will first try to disable the systems and then strike at designated targets,” the expert explains.
Anti-aircraft missile system S-300 (Photo: Sergey Bobylev / TASS)
According to Semenov, in order to secure the provinces where Russian bases, it is necessary to delimit the territories where various “toxic” pro-Iranian structures are present for Israel. “In this case, Russia could demand the cessation of Israeli Air Force operations in the provinces of Tartus and Latakia, or even take these regions under its umbrella,” the expert believes. But pro-Iranian structures, according to Semenov, are creating their own facilities in these areas in the hope that Israel will not be as active as in southern Syria due to the Russian presence.
Supplying more modern air defense systems to Damascus would be a reckless step, and Moscow understands this very well, Mardasov agrees. "Maximum - Russian specialists can continue to restore the combat effectiveness of the existing Syrian air defense system to maintain Syrian sovereignty,” he believes.
To prevent dangerous situations, according to the expert, Israel and Russia can agree on more timely mutual notification and restriction of Israeli aviation flights near Russian facilities.
A Russian military electronic reconnaissance aircraft with 15 military personnel on board disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea while returning to the Khmeimim air base. The base lost contact with it on Monday, September 17, at about 23:00 Moscow time, when the aircraft was over the Mediterranean Sea, 35 kilometers from the coast of Syria.
The plane disappeared at the same time four Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jets launched missile attacks on several targets in the coastal city of Latakia. The official Syrian news agency SANA reported that air defense batteries intercepted several missiles. It was alleged that the Israeli Air Force attacked "household chemicals and aluminum factories, as well as a power plant in Saqubia" from the sea. However, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the missile strike destroyed two weapons depots in the area of the Syrian naval base.
The command of the Russian airbase organized a search and rescue operation, but the fate of the Russian military is unknown, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.
According to the source, the disaster occurred when the Syrian military tried to shoot down Israeli missiles launched into Syria.
The fact that Washington believes that the Russian plane was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft guns is also reported by Reuters, citing an unnamed American official.
However, official Damascus has not yet given any comments.
The Rossiya-24 TV channel, citing certain sources, reports that the Syrian air defense forces (ADF) repelled an attack by the Israeli Air Force for more than half an hour last evening, when the IL-20 plane disappeared. "Syrian air defense systems worked for more than 40 minutes. Some of the missiles were intercepted, but some hit the target, hitting industrial facilities, including a plant for the production of aluminum, as well as household chemicals,” the TV channel reports.
The press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) does not comment on information about the shelling. “We do not comment on reports from abroad,” said a spokeswoman for the Israeli army.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Buk anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) missile, which shot down the Malaysian Boeing, was produced in the city of Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, in 1986, but was almost immediately sent to Ukraine, from where it never returned to Russia. And at the time of the attack on the passenger airliner four years ago, this missile was in service with the Ukrainian army.
The missile with tail number 886847379 arrived at military unit 20152 - the 223rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. In 1986, this brigade was part of the Carpathian Military District and was stationed in the city of Terebovlya, Ternopil region of the Ukrainian SSR. It was armed with Buk air defense systems. After the collapse of the USSR, this military unit was not withdrawn to the territory of the Russian Federation, but was included in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The missile that shot down the plane was in service with a missile regiment that was involved in operations in eastern Ukraine. By decree of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, this unit was renamed the 223rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment. It is currently stationed in the city of Stryi, Lviv region, and is still armed with Buk missile systems.
Help: IL-20 or "Coot"
When Russian TV channels broadcast images in real time interactive map with attack aircraft attacking militant positions in Syria, these photographs are often the result of observation by an Il-20 radio reconnaissance aircraft.
Il-20 (according to NATO codification Coot, “Coot”), created by the Ilyushin Design Bureau, is an electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare (EW) aircraft equipped with an IR scanner, optical sensors, and side-view radar.
The Il-20 aircraft, developed in 1965 on the basis passenger plane Il-18D, whose long flight range and spacious fuselage made it possible to create such a machine in a short time and with minimal costs, was intended for comprehensive reconnaissance of the border strip without crossing the state border. To solve these problems, a special complex of reconnaissance equipment was created, the equipment of which was placed in the passenger cabin of the aircraft and its luggage compartments on the lower deck, recalls RIA Novosti.
On March 21, 1968, the first flight of the prototype Il-20 aircraft took place. Testing of the fully equipped Il-20 was completed in the summer of 1969.
The aircraft was used for reconnaissance along the border strip and state border and is considered the first reconnaissance aircraft in the Soviet Union. In the ventral gondola of the aircraft there was an antenna for the Igla-1 side-view radar. The aircraft was also equipped with a detailed electronic reconnaissance station "Kvadrat-2" and radio interception equipment "Cherry". In the front and middle parts of the passenger cabin there are seats for six (later eight) radio operators.
Il-20 aircraft, as well as the modernized Il-20M and Il-20M1 that followed them with more advanced equipment, were not part of reconnaissance air regiments or Air Force squadrons Soviet Union, but were subordinate directly to the command of military districts; each district had several such aircraft.
In 1980, on the basis of the improved Il-18D passenger aircraft, the Il-20RT was created, which was used as a telemetry aircraft for missile testing and was based in the Baikonur region. Also at the same time, an air plane was created command post based on the Il-18D, called Il-22. Almost all Il-20 and Il-22 aircraft were painted in standard Aeroflot colors and also had the inscription “Il-18” on the sides.
In 2009, it was decided to begin work on converting the Il-22 into a jamming aircraft, designated Il-22PP. In 2011, testing of the finished aircraft began, and in 2016, three Il-22PP aircraft were delivered to the customer.
The wingspan of the Il-20 is 37.42 meters. The length of the aircraft is 35.9 meters, height is 10.17 meters.
Maximum take-off weight - 64 tons. Maximum speed is 675 kilometers per hour, cruising speed is 620 kilometers per hour. Flight range - 6.2 thousand kilometers. Crew - 13 people.
The Il-20 plane disappeared the day before at about 23:00 (Moscow time). He was returning to the Russian Khmeimim airbase. The aircraft was 35 km from the Syrian coast when contact with the crew was lost. This was reported to the Russian Ministry of Defense. There were 14 people on board. "Morning" is following the latest details.
16:06. The defense ministers of Russia and Israel discussed the incident in Syria by telephone. The details of the conversation remain unknown, reports the Daily Storm Telegram channel.
15:30. The Israel Defense Forces is ready to provide the Russian Federation with all the information necessary to investigate the destruction of the Il-20. “Israel will share all relevant information with the Russian government to study the incident and confirm the facts,” RIA Novosti quoted the Army press service as saying.
14:38. The Israeli army has finally commented on the situation with the downed plane. Israel mourns the crash of the Il-20, according to a statement released today. TASS writes about this.
11:55. The Federation Council stated the need for a tough conversation with Israel against the backdrop of its hostile actions, which led to the death of 15 Russian soldiers, reports RIA Novosti.
11:50. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman.
“The blame for the downing of the Russian plane and the death of the crew lies entirely on the Israeli side,” Shoigu said. He reminded Lieberman that Russia has repeatedly called on Israel to refrain from attacks on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, which could threaten the lives of our military. TASS writes about this with reference to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
11:45. The crash site of a Russian plane has been discovered. Il-20 was found 27 km west of settlement Banias (Latakia).
“Fragments of the crew’s bodies and personal belongings, as well as aircraft debris, were lifted aboard the Russian ships,” RIA Novosti quotes the Ministry of Defense as saying.
11:25.
Meanwhile, Damascus refuses to communicate with the media. “There are no comments on this issue,” the press service of the political department of the Syrian army responded to a request about the incident with the downed Russian Il-20 to RIA Novosti.
10:50. The Ministry of Defense officially stated that the Il-20 was shot down by mistake from a Syrian S-200 air defense system. The plane was exposed to Israeli fighters who carried out strikes on Syrian territory. The Ministry of Defense described Israel's actions as hostile and provocative. The department added that it “reserves the right to take adequate response actions.”
10:25.
Experts have put forward a new version of what happened to our plane. Syrian air defense could not shoot down the Il-20. Surely they warned about the flight of the Russian aircraft. Using portable air defense systems, it is difficult to ensure that such a large aircraft with four engines crashes to the ground. This opinion was expressed in a conversation with RIA Novosti by the head of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Konstantin Sivkov.
He suggests that the Il-20 was shot down by Israeli fighters.
10:20. Information has emerged that Russian aviation, the fleet and air defense are put on full combat readiness. However, there is no official confirmation, notes the Telegram channel “SMI_li”.
9:20. An “unforeseen incident of a critical nature” could have occurred on board the plane with the Russian military. A source in the international search and rescue authorities reported this to Interfax. The agency's interlocutor put forward a version that the wreckage of the plane could have fallen into the Mediterranean Sea and sank.
8:50. The French also disowned the missile strike. “We deny any involvement in this attack,” Francesoir quoted an army spokesman as saying.
8:30.
Israel remains silent for now. The military refused to comment on the attack on the SAR and the disappearance of our plane, RIA Novosti reports.
“We do not comment on reports from abroad,” a spokeswoman for the defense army press service told the agency.
8:20.
Meanwhile, CNN, citing a source in the American government, reports that a Russian plane was shot down by Syrian air defenses while intercepting Israeli missiles.
8:15. Nothing is known yet about the fate of the servicemen; the IL-20 is now being searched for. The Navy rescue tug "Professor Nikolai Murov" is located near the port of Tartus.
8:10.
Four Israeli Air Force F-16 aircraft struck Syrian territory. Later, data appeared about missile launches from the French frigate Auvergne in the Mediterranean Sea. This is the FREDA air defense frigate, which is armed with 32 Aster 30 missiles with a launch range of up to 120 kilometers.
8:00. Previously there was information about missile strike Israel on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Several explosions occurred in Latakia - several enterprises and a plant, as well as a power plant, were attacked, RIA Novosti reports. At the same time, a military source in Syria said that the missiles were fired from the sea. Seven people were injured as a result of the attack.
