 Photo: internet
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According to the US, the Syrian warplane was shot down in response to an attack on US-backed rebel forces fighting the Islamic State. Syria insists its aircraft was attacking IS forces.
Tensions escalate
Syria says the US is cooperating with rebels against the Syrian government. Russia accused the US-backed coalition of supporting terrorism and has halted its cooperation with the US within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on Syria signed by the two Ministries of Defense. Russia announced it will include manned and unmanned air craft of the US-led coalition as targets of its air defense system in Syria and all planes and drones of the international coalition detected in Syria will be shot down. Russia will deploy its naval force, missiles, and submarines for pre-emptive attacks. The Pentagon has re-located its warplanes in Syria to avoid attacks from the Russian air defense system, but Washington said the US will not give up its support for the Syrian opposition’s fight against terrorism.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed his hope that tensions between the US and Russia will not escalate the conflict. At a press conference, Mr. Guterres urged all parties to take immediate action to reduce tensions.
Clear message
This is 4th US military attack in Syria since President Donald Trump took office. The US does not support a Syrian government headed by Assad. It wants peace in Syria as long as Assad promises to step down. Russia, on the other hand, supports Assad’s continued rule. Russia and the US set up a hot line to inform each other about their air operations in Syrian airspace to avoid incidents. But the hotline has apparently not been effective. A new round of talks on ending the long conflict in Syria will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, next month on July 10th.