[Published: Tuesday September 25 2018]
 Russia to upgrade Syrian air defences
MOSCOW 25 Sep (ANA) - Russia is to send new anti-aircraft missiles to Syria, a week after Syrian forces accidentally shot down a Russian aircraft during an Israeli air strike.
The S-300 missile defence system will be delivered within two weeks.
The Russian reconnaissance plane was downed last Monday after Israeli jets attacked targets in Latakia province.
Israel, which insisted Syria's military was to blame, warned that giving the S-300 to "irresponsible actors" would make the region more dangerous.
US national security adviser John Bolton said the decision would cause a "significant escalation" in Syria's civil war and urged Russia to reconsider.
Russia has an airbase in Syria from which it carries out air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the delivery of the S-300 system had been suspended in 2013 following a request from Israel but added: "Now, the situation has changed. And it's not our fault."
"In parts of the Mediterranean adjacent to Syria, there will be radio-electronic jamming of satellite navigation, onboard radars and communications systems used by military aircraft attacking targets in Syrian territory," he said.
The systems will also be able to track and identify Russian aircraft.
The Ilyushin Il-20 is reported to have been downed about 35km (22 miles) from the Syrian coast as it was returning to Russia's Hmeimim airbase near the north-western city of Latakia.
Russia's Tass news agency said at the time that the plane had "disappeared during an attack by four Israeli F-16 jets on Syrian facilities in Latakia province".
Reports on Syrian state media spoke of an attack in the area shortly before the plane disappeared. According to Sana news agency, the military said it had intercepted "enemy missiles coming from the open sea towards the city of Latakia".
Syrian television also reported explosions over the sky in Latakia just before 22:00 local time. Thirty minutes later, the Sana Facebook page reported that Syrian air defences had responded to enemy missiles.(ANA)
FA/ANA/25 September 2018--------
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