Russian military planes have targeted the Al-Nusra-controlled area of Syria’s Idlib province where a Su-25 jet was earlier downed by militants, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
The military conducted “a massive precision weapon strike… on areas controlled by the Al-Nusra [terrorist] group,” the ministry said in a statement.
Moscow confirmed Saturday that a Russian Su-25 jet crashed in Idlib province, probably shot down by a man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD). The pilot ejected, but was killed by militants on the ground, the ministry said.
READ MORE: Russian Su-25 jet downed in Syria, pilot killed – Defense Ministry
Tahrir al-Sham, the extremist group linked to Al-Nusra terrorists, has claimed responsibility for the downing of the Russian aircraft, according to Reuters.
Earlier, another militant group, Jaysh al-Nasr, which claims affiliation to the Free Syrian Army, also posted videos and statements about the Russian plane on its Twitter account. It said the jet was shot down by some air defense systems.