U.S.-Led Coalition Violated Syrian Airspace Ten Times, Held Air Defens…
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 263rd Air Defense Artillery, South Carolina National Guard, send a stinger missile downrange from the Humvee-mounted Avenger missile system at Range 91 near Oro Grande, N.M., Oct. 23, 2011. Source: US Army.
Fighter jets of the United States-led coalition violated the airspace of Syria ten times over the past 24 hours, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation In Syria, said on July 13.
“In the al-Tanf area, which is a zone of international air traffic, ten violations of Syrian airspace have been registered, namely by a pair of F-15 fighter jets, three pairs of F-16 fighter jets and a pair of Rafale fighter jets,” he commander said.
“Moreover, the coalition’s forces carried out exercises involving the use of air defense systems in the al-Tanf area on July 12,” the Russian military official added.
Gurinov warned that the coalition’s actions set a dangerous precedent for incidents and accidents involving civilian aircraft flying over Syria.
According to the commander, the U.S.-led coalition violated deconfliction protocols 13 times over the past day, by sending its drones on missions over Syria that were not coordinated with the Russian military.
Earlier this week, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria reported nine violations of Syrian airspace by American, French and British fighter jets of the coalition.
The U.S.-led coalition claims that it is fighting ISIS in Syria. The coalition’s operations in the country are not sanctioned by Damascus, who consider it to be an occupation force. Meanwhile, the Russian military is present under an agreement with the government.
The repeated violations by the coalition are leading to more tensions with Russia and could eventually result in some accident.
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