US claims Russian jet flew very close American aircraft over Syria

US officials have claimed that a Russian jet fighter had flown in close proximity to a US military aircraft while on a reconnaissance mission in the skies over Syria, generating a dangerous situation for the four American crew members on board.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation, claimed the incident happened over the weekend, and represents a significant escalation in what has been a string of encounters between US and Russian aircraft over Syria in recent weeks. 

The unidentified US officials further asserted that the intercept by the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 jet impeded the US crew’s ability to safely operate their MC-12 twin-engine turboprop aircraft.

They also claimed that the US aircraft was doing surveillance in support of operations against the remnants of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria.

On Tuesday, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria stated that the US-led coalition’s fighter jets had violated the Syrian airspace over the strategic al-Tanf region six times within the past 24 hours.

“The Russian side stresses that such actions create risks of air accidents with civilian planes performing regular flights,” he said.

Last week, the Associated Press reported that the US was considering options to address the increasing Russian activities in the skies over Syria.

The news agency did not say what options were considered by the US, noting that the increased Russian military activity “stems from growing cooperation and coordination between Moscow, Tehran and the Syrian government to try to pressure the US to leave Syria.”

MG