US warns of risk of mid-air errors of S-300 system in Syria
(Baonghean.vn) - US Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. James Jeffrey, said that Russia's provision of the S-300 air defense missile system to the Syrian army increases the probability of repeating the error that led to the IL-20 plane crash.
 |
| S-300 missile complex. Photo: Getty |
In an interview with RIA news agency and Kommersant newspaper, Mr. Jeffrey said: "Remember the tragedy that happened, when the Syrian army's mistake led to the shooting down of a Russian plane, and if I'm not mistaken, 15 people were killed. Providing the S-300 air defense system will give the Syrian army more opportunities to make similar mistakes in the future. Therefore, we call on Russia to be extremely cautious in this matter."
Mr. Jeffrey also noted that the communication mechanism between the US and Russia on the Syria issue is working well, so Washington does not see any need to change anything here.
The delivery of the S-300s comes after the downing of a Russian IL-20 fighter jet over Syria, an incident for which Moscow blames Israel.
In early October, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that four S-300 complexes had been deployed in Syria, while local troops would be trained for three months to operate these systems.
