Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu told his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman that Israel is to blame for shooting down the Russian plane over the Mediterranean Sea, TASS reported.

"The responsibility for the downing of the Russian aircraft and the death of its crew lies solely with Israel. The Russian Defense Ministry used various communication channels on numerous occasions to urge Israel to refrain from conducting airstrikes in Syria, which threaten the security of Russian military personnel," Shoigu said.