Russia says it will treat US-led planes over Syria as 'potential targets'
By Benjamin Raven
RE:
http://www.mlive.com/news/us-world/i...06/russia.html
A day after the U.S. military shot down a Syrian warplane for the first time, Russia's Defense Ministry sent out a clear message Monday, June 19.
The Associated Press reports that Russia said it will treat any U.S.-led warplanes over Syria's government-controlled areas as potential targets. On Sunday evening, June 18, a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet "immediately shot down" a Syrian SU-22 warplane after it dropped bombs near coalition forces around 6:43 p.m., the Department of Defense reports in a news release.
"The coalition presence in Syria addresses the imminent threat ISIS in Syria poses globally," the Department of Defense says in the news release. "The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated."
A.P. reports Moscow condemned the counter-attack, and has asked U.S. officials to offer a full explanation of why it shot down the Syrian war plane.
"I'm sure that because of this neither the U.S. nor anyone else will take any actions to threaten our aircraft," Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense, told state-owned RIA Novosti news, according to A.P. "That's why there's no threat of direct confrontation between Russia and American aircraft."
This isn't the first time Russia has vocally condemned U.S. military action in Syria in recent months. Back in April, Russia gave the U.S. the cold shoulder after Americans fired 59 missiles on a Syrian air base after a chemical weapons attack.
The U.S. launched 59 missiles at the Shayrat air base in early April in response to a chemical attack that was blamed on the Syrian government and Assad. It was the first time the U.S. directly targeted the Syrian government since the civil war began in the country. At the time, the Kremlin said Putin called the U.S. strike an "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law."
Ozerov also made clear that Russia would only be tracking the U.S.-led coalition's jets and would not actively be shooting them down. He said that if they do threaten a Russian aircraft, then "a threat for those jets may appear."
Russia has been a key ally of Bashar Assad, Syria's president, since 2015.
"These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria," the U.S. military said in a release.
"The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world ... "