The White House said on Wednesday that a second Russian aircraft flew dangerously close to a U.S. drone over Syria this week, only days after another Russian plane damaged another U.S. drone above the war-torn country.
“We have seen early reports of a second Russian fighter aircraft flying dangerously close to our drone on a defeat ISIS mission this week”, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a news briefing.
“We remain focused on the mission to defeat ISIS, as evidenced by our recent strike this month against an ISIS leader in Syria”, she added.
The U.S. military claimed on Tuesday that a Russian fighter aircraft hit a U.S. drone with a flare on Sunday, damaging its propeller severely above Syria, in breach of established protocols and international rules.
According to U.S. authorities, Russian jets have increased the frequency of dangerous encounters with U.S. military aircraft in recent months over Syria, where both countries’ forces operate.
Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war in 2015, shifting the scales in favor of President Bashar Al-Assad. Moscow has since strengthened its military presence in the country, establishing a permanent air base as well as a navy base.
The United States is heading a coalition against the jihadist Islamic State organization and has carried out air strikes in Syria this year. Washington has increased raids and operations in Syria targeting suspected ISIS operatives in the recent year.
In 2019, a US-led campaign assassinated former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who called himself the ‘caliph of all Muslims’ and has subsequently targeted the group’s surviving leaders, many of whom are feared to be planning strikes abroad.
At its peak in 2014, the Islamic State-controlled one-third of Iraq and Syria. Despite being defeated in both nations, its fighters continue to carry out guerrilla activities.
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