RUSSIA says one of its surveillance aircraft has "disappeared from radar" during a missile attack on northern Syria.
A RUSSIAN surveillance plane with 14 people on board that 'disappeared from radar' is believed to have been accidentally shot down by Syrian regime forces who were under attack from Israeli missiles.
There are conflicting reports as to who is responsible for the downing of the aircraft, however the US claims it was accidentally shot down by the Syrian regime's anti-aircraft artillery after the Syrians came under fire by Israeli missiles.
CNN cites a 'US official with knowledge of the incident'.
Syria has blamed Israel for the disappearance of the Russian aircraft - for launching a missile strike in the first place.
A brief statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence says the missing aircraft, described as an IL-20 surveillance aircraft carrying 14 crew, 'disappeared from radar' during the attack on Syrian and Iranian regime forces in the port city of Latakia.
The plane was over the Mediterranean Sea about 35 km from the Syrian coastline, Russia's TASS news agency quoted the ministry.
Syria is yet to confirm or deny its involvement in the aircraft's disappearance.
"The French army denies any involvement in this attack," a French army spokesman said.
Syrian air defences were then activated after missiles were detected approaching from the sea.
CNN reports the US found out about the incident because Syrian forces had broadcast an emergency search and rescue radio call on an international frequency.
A Pentagon spokesman told AFP the US was not involved and declined to provide further details.
Initial reports from Syrian regime sources stated seven people were injured after "powerful explosions" echoed through the city.
Syrian regime military sources told Russian media that Latakia's power station and an aluminium factory had been hit.
Syrian media has stated that a 'number of missiles' have been shot down by its air defence network. SANA reported the missiles targeting Latakia came "from the sea," citing military sources.
Latakia is close to Russia's Khmeimim Air Base. It is unclear if its air defence batteries were also engaged in the defence, or if the aircraft was hit by 'friendly fire' from nearby Syrian forces.
Russia's military operation in Syria, which began in late 2015, has turned the tide of the conflict in favour of Moscow's ally, Syrian President Bashar al- Assad, in his fight against rebels. But it has come at a cost to Russia.
Hotlines are in place for those countries to share operational information on their deployments, but diplomats and military planners say there is still a high risk of one state inadvertently striking another country's forces.