An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 63rd Fighter Squadron lands during a storm July 12, 2019, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aspen Reid)
United States-led coalition fighter jets and drones violated Syrian airspace 12 times in the past day, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, said on August 9.
“In the area of al-Tanf, 12 violations were recorded over the past day by a pair of F-16 fighters, two pairs of F-35 fighters, two pairs of Typhoon fighters and two multipurpose MQ-1C unmanned aerial vehicles of the coalition,” Kulit reported.
Around 200 U.S. troops are usually deployed at a garrison in the southeastern Syrian area of al-Tanf. The coalition maintains a 55-kilometer no-fly zone around the area.
Kulit also reported 12 violations of the deconfliction protocols over Syria related to U.S. drone flights which were not coordinated by the Russian military group in the country.
“Aircraft of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the U.S. continue to create dangerous situations in the skies over Syria by conducting flights in violation of the deconfliction protocols and violating the airspace,” the commander said.
Just a day earlier, the Russian Reconciliation Center reported a dangerous incident during which an MQ-9 drone of the coalition almost hit a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber over the northeastern Syrian governorate of Raqqa
The coalition expanded its aerial operations over Syria last month in what appears to be an attempt to challenge the country’s government and the Russian military there. This led to unprecedented tensions.
While the repeated provocations by the U.S. and its allies will not likely lead to any direct clash with the Russian military, they could eventually cause a serious incident.
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