JERUSALEM, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army said on Thursday that the talks in Moscow between senior Israeli and Russian officers over the downing of a Russian plane were held "in good spirits."
Earlier in the day, a delegation led by Israel's Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin arrived in Moscow to present Israel's findings on the accident in an attempt to address a potential diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
The Russian military officers attending the talks included the commander of the Russian Air Force, senior commanders of the Russian army and other officials of the Russian Air Force.
According to a statement released by the Israeli army, the Israeli delegation presented a situation report on the fatal accident in which Syrian anti-aircraft fire downed a Russian aircraft.
They shared with the Russian officers pre-mission information about the site Israel targeted in the accident, the army said.
Iranian precision weapons reached the site in Syria before going to Iran-backed Lebanon's Hezbollah, as part of "the ongoing Iranian attempts to establish a military presence in Syria and to transfer strategic weapons to Hezbollah," the statement read.
However, the Syria government has denied all these charges.
According to the Israeli military, representatives from both sides shared "a professional, open and transparent discussion on various issues" during their meetings.
The Israeli delegation is expected to return home on Friday morning.
On Monday, a reconnaissance Russian military aircraft with 15 Russian personnel onboard was mistakenly downed by Syrian anti-aircraft fire launched in response to an Israeli airstrike on Iranian targets in Syria's Latakia Province.
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.
