JERUSALEM, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military said Wednesday that a delegation headed by the air force chief will embark on Moscow on Thursday in the wake of the downing of a Russian plane amidst an Israeli airstrike in Syria.
The unusual delegation follows the downing of the Russian reconnaissance plane caused by Syrian anti-aircraft fire launched in response to an Israeli airstrike on Iranian target in Syria's Latakia on Monday night.
Fifteen Russian aircrew members were killed in the incident.
Israel Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin and his delegation will "present the situation report of the event regarding all aspects, including the pre-mission information and the findings of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) inquiry regarding the event," a military spokesperson said in a statement.
Additionally, they will present the "continuous Iranian attempts to transfer strategic weapons to the Hezbollah terror organization and to establish an Iranian military presence in Syria," the statement read.
The air force chief will be joined by the head of the military's International Cooperation Unit Erez Maisel, as well as other officers of the Intelligence Directorate, the Air Force and the Operations Directorate, the military said.
The fatal accident raised fears in Israel that ties between the two countries might be strained after Russian military officials held Israel accountable for the accident. But after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked over the phone on Tuesday afternoon, Putin issued a new statement saying the downing of the plane was part of "a chain of tragic accidental circumstances."
After the talk, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office released a statement saying Netanyahu expressed his regret over the death of the Russian soldiers and said that Syria was responsible for the loss of the plane.
Putin and Netanyahu have held regular meetings to coordinate their moves in the war-torn country.
Israel has carried out some 200 airstrikes over the last 18 months, claiming that the attacks aimed to prevent Iranian weapons convoys and stop Iran from establishing a military foothold in Syria.
