Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria deputy head Counter Admiral Vadim Kulit reported 19 violations in the Al-Tanf area by three pairs of F-35 jets, four pairs of F-16 jets, two Rafale jets, and three MQ-1C coalition multifunctional drones.
He said the US-led alliance often made Syrian airspace hazardous. Kulit also stated that a Western coalition F-16 fighter plane “dangerously approached” a Russian Su-35 near the southern Syrian border.
He said that US coalition warplanes had violated Syria’s airspace 26 times in 24 hours before this event. Military watchers and authorities have called these contacts disturbing, but they have persisted for weeks.
Moscow alleged that two pro-American coalition F-35 jets got perilously close to two Russian Aerospace Forces Su-35s in Syria on August 14, in a rare incident.
Russian reports claim that three pairs of F-16s, three pairs of F-35s, two teams of Rafale fighter jets, and one pair of Typhoon fighter jets from the coalition, along with two MQ-1C multi-role unmanned aerial vehicles, entered Syria’s Al-Tanf airspace throughout the day.
Western news reports Russian overreaches occur as often as Russian reports of multinational coalition transgressions. US Central Command reported the first signs of tension between the sides.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of the US Air Forces Central Command, cautioned early on that it was “ripe for some miscalculation.” It indicates a Russian Air Force professionalism breakdown I have never seen.”
Russia soon responded with allegations of US-led international coalition crimes. Both countries allege mutual harassment with fighter jets and ground forces, raising tensions. The US and Russia may soon fight.
The US and Russia have large military presences in Syria. The US-led International Coalition was founded in 2014 to battle ISIS.
Since then, the US has supplied material, financial, and logistical support to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and its armed wing, the SDF.
Russia supported the Bashar al-Assad administration and Iran to fight the rebels in 2015 despite a worsening security situation, unlike the US. Russia and the US-led coalition have avoided each other except for a few minor military confrontations.
Syria started 2023 on a strangely high note, with growing engagements between the two Cold War enemies, suggesting that the Middle Eastern country was becoming the new Cold War battlefield.
It began in March when Grynkewich claimed Russian Su-34 Fullback fighter planes flew right above Al Tanf, the largest US military facility in Syria. Some had air-to-ground armaments, including radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles, but few had air-to-air weapons.
US CENTCOM declassified two films of Russian Su-35 fighter jets intercepting two American fighters in dangerous ways. Ironically, the American F-16s have been accused of doing the same to the Russian Su-35s as the two sides play cat and mouse.
July began with the US accusing Russia of unsafe maneuvers near US military drones, sparking concerns that Moscow may try to “bring down” another MQ-9 Reaper. Grynkewich said the Russian pilots harassed the drones throughout the incident.
Later that month, the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, reported that a US-made MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle of the US-led international coalition flew “dangerously close” to two Russian Su-35 and Su-34 aircraft in the Al-Bab region on July 26.
Gurinov further reported that the MQ-9 Reaper fired decoy flares when its radars detected the Russian jets after locking their guns.
In contrast, pro-Western social media groups reported that a Russian fighter plane seriously damaged an American MQ-9 Reaper drone fighting ISIS over Syria.
Since then, both sides have reported these and dozens more developments virtually daily. Military observers have predicted a regional military clash. As more occurrences are reported, these warnings become more realistic and disturbing.
Read More: Russia’s Su-35s Compare to US F-16 Jets
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