An U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron lands in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility July 25, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Sommers
A pair of F-35 fighter jets of the United States-led coalition buzzed dangerously close to two Su-35 fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces over Syria, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, revealed during a briefing on August 17.
“Between 11:10 and 11:37 [Moscow time] on August 16, two F-35 fighter jets of the coalition dangerously approached two Su-35 planes of the Russian Aerospace forces at the altitude of about 7,000 meters, in the Al Tanf area. The Russian aircraft were performing a scheduled flight along Syria’s southern border,” the commander said.
Kulit added that “Russian pilots demonstrated a high degree of professionalism, promptly taking the necessary measures to avert a collision with the coalition’s aircraft.”
During the same briefing, the commander also reported 19 new violations of Syria airspace by fighter jets and drones of the U.S.-led coalition.
“A total of 18 airspace violations were detected in the al-Tanf zone over the past 24 hours, committed by two pairs of F-35 fighter jets, three pairs of F-16 fighter jets, two pairs of Typhoon fighter jets, a pair of Rafale fighter jets, one MC-12W reconnaissance plane and two MQ-1C multirole unmanned aerial vehicles of the coalition,” the commander said.
In addition, coalition drones violated a deconfliction agreement with the Russian side by carrying out 13 uncoordinated flights over Syria, according to the commander.
“Air crews of the so-called international anti-terrorism coalition, led by the U.S., continue to create dangerous situations in the skies above Syria, flying in breach of deconfliction protocols and violating the airspace of the Syrian Arab Republic,” Kulit added.
The U.S.-led coalition maintains a network of bases at key oil and gas fields in the northeastern Syrian governorates of Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah in addition to a garrison that blocks a strategic international highway in the southeastern area of al-Tanf, The country’s government does not approve of this presence and considers it to be an occupation.
In recent months, the coalition expanded its aerial operations over Syria which led to unprecedented tensions with the Russian military group in the country.
The Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria has already warned that the coalition’s provocations create tensions in Syria’s airspace and may lead to air incidents and disasters.
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