US Department of Defence: Russian aircrafts violated the agreed deconfliction protocols in eastern Syria
The US Department of Defense confirmed that the Russian aircrafts unsafely and unprofessionally flew close to the US aircrafts over the Syrian airspace for seven times during last August, warning that these practices violate the agreed restrictions.
The Pentagon press secretary, Pat Ryder, said in a press conference that “The Russian fighter aircrafts approached the US F-35 fighter jets and other International Coalition aircrafts over Syria on seven occasions during the last August.”
Ryder added that the Russian aircrafts’ practices were unsafe and unprofessional as the Russian fighters flew in aggressive maneuvers, many of them were at a distance of 1,000 feet, the last maneuver was on August 25, 2023.
Ryder called on Russia to cease these reckless behaviors as they violate the restrictions agreed upon by the two states and rise the risk of miscalculation and do not reflect the anticipated behavior from a professional air force.
US officials have previously warned of increasing signs of a military confrontation between the US and Russian forces deployed in Syria.
Tensions have escalated between the American and Russian forces in the Syrian airspace over the past few weeks due to friction incidents between Russian fighters and American drones, amid accusations being thrown about the party that initiated the attack.
