Russia to Supply Syria With Air-Defense System, Raising Tensions With Israel

The delivery of the S-300 raises the risks of escalation with Israel in a complex ground-and-air conflict involving multiple countries

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...