A column of smoke rises from Syria, near its border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on June 24, 2017, after an Israeli airstrike. Russia is taking steps to beef up Syria's air defense network since Syrian forces accidentally shot down a Russian plane while responding to an Israeli attack on Sept. 17, 2018.
Russia is trying to avoid disaster in Syria. After a Syrian surface-to-air missile battery accidentally shot down a Russian surveillance plane Sept. 17 while responding to an Israeli attack, Moscow is moving to secure Syria's airspace, as expected . Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced Sept. 24 that his country would increase its support for Syria's air defense network in hopes of preventing future accidents and "ill-considered actions" by "hotheads" — namely, Israel. But Russia's actions won't stop Israel from carrying out airstrikes against Iranian assets in Syria . In fact, they may raise the risk of an escalation between Iran and Israel. Shoigu outlined a three-part plan for beefing up Syria's air defense. First, Russia will deliver S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems to the Syrian forces, which currently rely on the obsolete S-200 system for long-range air defense.
