National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the evidence in the Azerbaijan Airlines crash goes beyond widely circulated images of the wreckage.

The White House said preliminary evidence suggests that Russia‘s defense systems shot down a commercial flight originating in Azerbaijan. On Christmas Day, the plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines,

A White House official said the US has seen "early indications" that the fatal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane was caused by a Russian air defense system. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that the US has "seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems.