Russian Plane Enters Israeli

Airspace; Israelis Refuse to Open

Fire
A Russian jet recently entered Israeli airspace but was not shot
down thanks to an open communication system between the two
countries, Israels defence minister has said, as tensions continued
to flare between Ankara and Moscow after Turkish troops shot down
a Russian warplane.
Israels defence minister, Moshe Yaalon, said the plane entered
about one mile (1.5km) into Israeli airspace by mistake and
immediately turned around back to Syria when the Russians were
notified. For two months, Russia has been carrying out airstrikes in
support of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
Yaalon told Israel Radio that after Russia announced its air
campaign in Syria, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu,
along with his military chief of staff and other officials, met with the
Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and later opened a channel for
coordination with Russia to prevent misunderstandings.
He said there has been one incident so far of a Russian plane
entering Israeli airspace and it was immediately corrected in the
communications channel. He didnt say when it occurred.
Yaalon said: Russian planes dont intend to attack us and
therefore there is no need to automatically, even if there is some
kind of mistake, shoot them down.

Putin has called for economic sanctions against Turkey, including a

ban on some goods and extensions of labour contracts for Turks

Russian Plane Enters Israeli

Airspace; Israelis Refuse to Open
Fire
working in Russia from 1 January 2016. He also called for an end
to chartered flights from Russia to Turkey, for Russian tourism
companies to stop selling vacation packages that would include a
stay in Turkey, and for an end to visa-free travel between Russia and
Turkey, and tighter controls of Turkish air carriers in Russia. The
decree was issued to protect Russian citizens from crimes, a
Kremlin statement said.
The decree came hours after the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip
Erdoan, voiced regret over the incident, saying his country was
truly saddened by the event and wished it hadnt occurred.
Yaalon explained on Sunday that the Russians notify Israel ahead
of time when they plan to get close to the countrys airspace.
Just as we dont interfere with their operations and we dont get
involved, as a policy, in what is happening in Syria, they also dont
interfere with us flying and acting in accordance with our interests,
he said.
Israel is believed to have carried out airstrikes on several weapons
convoys in Syria heading for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant
group in Lebanon. Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim group, fought a
month-long war with Israel in 2006.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the airstrikes, but has said
it will not allow sophisticated or game-changing weaponry to reach
anti-Israel militant groups.

Russian Plane Enters Israeli

Airspace; Israelis Refuse to Open
Fire
Israel has been carefully monitoring the Syrian war since it erupted
in March 2011. While relations with Syria are hostile, the ruling
Assad family has kept the frontier with Israel quiet for much of the
past 40 years.