Russian military aircraft makes ‘unusual’ landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport: Report

A Russian military aircraft used to transport senior officials and military personnel landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday evening in an “unusual” flight, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported on Monday.

The Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft arrived at the airport under circumstances that remain unclear, with no information available about the identities of its passengers or the purpose of the visit, according to KAN.

The broadcaster said no similar landing had been recorded at the airport in recent years.

The aircraft departed from Russia’s Chkalovsky Air Base near Moscow and landed at Ben Gurion Airport around 9 pm local time (1900GMT) Sunday, KAN reported.

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The plane was initially detected through a real-time flight-tracking application, the broadcaster said.

KAN added that it obtained video footage of the Russian aircraft at the Israeli airport Monday morning.

The broadcaster reported that the plane was expected to depart Israel sometime Monday, without specifying a departure time.

The Israeli army spokesperson, the Israeli prime minister’s office and the Russian Embassy in Israel declined to comment on the flight, according to KAN.

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