A MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)
A Russian fighter jet flew “dangerously close” to a United States drone over Syria earlier this week, the White House said on July 27.
“We have seen the early reports of a second Russian fighter aircraft this week, flying dangerously close to our drone on a defeat ISIS mission,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a press briefing.
Pierre said that the aerial incident was a violation of established protocols with Russia and international norms.
“We remain focused on the mission to defeat ISIS as is evident by our recent strike against an ISIS leader in Syria this month,” she added.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said that a Russian fighter jet hit the U.S. drone with a flare and “severely” damaged its propeller over Syria.
The U.S. claims that its military and allies are operating in Syria to counter ISIS. However, the deployment is not sanctioned by Damascus or coordinated with the Russian military group in the country.
Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, the head of the Russian military’s Reconciliation Center in Syria, announced on July 27 that the U.S.-led coalition violated Syrian airspace eight times over the past day.
In a press briefing, the senior commander said that all of the violations occurred over the southeastern area of al-Tanf, which serves as a passage for international air routes.
“Eight violations of Syrian airspace by three pairs of F-16 fighter jets, one pair of Rafale fighter jets and one pair of coalition Typhoon fighter jets were recorded in the area of Al-Tanf,” Gurinov said.
U.S.-led coalition drones also violated deconfliction protocols 15 times over the past day, the commander noted.
“The US continues to misinform the global society regarding illegal flights of their unmanned aerial vehicles in Syrian airspace, accusing Russia of ‘dangerous rapprochements,’” Gurinov said.
All dangerous situations in Syrian skies are provoked by coalition aircraft flying in violation of Syrian airspace and deconfliction protocols, the commander stressed.
Tensions over Syria are the direct result of recent attempts by the U.S. to expand its military presence in the country under the pretext of fighting ISIS. The lack of any coordination with the Russian side, tensions could eventually cause an incident.
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