Trump: seems like Syria shot down Russia's Il-20

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Syria likely shot down a Russian military plane near its coast, adding that the United States and other countries are close to eliminating the presence of Islamic State in Syria and the region.

"It sounds to me and it seems to me based on a review of the facts that Syria shot down a Russian plane. And I understand about 14 people were killed and that’s a very sad thing but that’s what happens," Reuters cited the U.S. president as saying.

"We have done a tremendous job in Syria and in that region eradicating ISIS, which is why we are there. And we are very close to finishing that job," Trump said at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that at about 23:00 Moscow time on Monday contact was lost with a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 plane, which was flying back to the airbase at Syria’s Khmeymim. According to the ministry, the plane went off radar screens as four Israeli F-16 fighter jet were delivering airstrikes on Syrian targets in the Latakia governorate.

Later, the ministry said the Russian Il-20 was shot down by Syria’s air defense over the Mediterranean Sea because Israel’s F-16 fighter jets used it as a cover. The Israeli command centers and the F-16s’ pilots could not but see the Russian plane, which was approaching the runway from an altitude of five kilometers.