MOSCOW—The Russian government announced plans to send a powerful air-defense system to Syria, escalating tensions with Israel following the downing of a Russian war plane last week that the Kremlin has blamed on Israeli forces.
Syrian air defense systems shot down the Russian reconnaissance plane, killing 15 service members on board, as they defended against Israeli military jets that were attacking Iranian targets in Syria.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday that Russia would supply its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with an S-300 missile system within two weeks. He noted that Russia postponed delivery of the system in 2013 at the request of Israel, but the situation had changed.
“We are confident that these measures will cool hotheads and prevent them from taking thoughtless steps that might put our servicemen in harm’s way,” Mr. Shoigu said, Interfax news agency reported.
Israel declined to comment on Russia’s announcement.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin told Mr. Assad of the plans to supply the weapons system in a telephone call, which a Kremlin spokesman said was aimed at protecting Russian service members in Syria.
The delivery of the S-300, which Mr. Shoigu said can intercept multiple targets in a range of 250 kilometers, would raise the risks of escalation in an already complex ground-and-air conflict involving multiple countries, where Israel is striving to prevent Iran from establishing itself in Syria.
Mr. Putin had initially struck a conciliatory tone over the incident, blaming it on “a string of tragic coincidences” in what seemed like an effort to avoid a broader confrontation with Israel.
Israel has denied it is responsible for the downing of the plane, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally expressed his sorrow over the loss of life in a phone call with Mr. Putin.
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The quick efforts to try to calm tensions appeared to underscore how the relationship between the two leaders had grown stronger during the conflict.
But the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday that Moscow rejected specific claims presented personally last week by Israel’s Air Force commander that put responsibility for the downing of the plane on Syria.
A spokesman for the Russian military said that Israeli jets had used Russia’s airborne reconnaissance plane as a decoy to take the fire from the Syrian S-200 antiaircraft missiles, a semi-automated air defense system.
Israel’s military rejected that claim.
“The comprehensive, accurate and factual details are known to the relevant professionals in the Russian military,” Israel’s military said in a statement Sunday.
Israel said its military officers prioritize “the safety and well-being of the Russian troops who operate in Syria” when approving activities in Syria.
The Israeli military said that avoiding accidents with Russian forces remains a shared interest amid regional challenges and that it would continue efforts to prevent Iran from establishing itself in Syria and from providing Hezbollah with lethal weapons.
—Felicia Schwartz contributed to this article.
Write to James Marson at james.marson@wsj.com
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