U.S. pilots have requested permission to shoot down Syrian aircraft for self-defense purposes three times this month
This month American pilots have sought permission to shoot down Syrian military aircraft three times, citing self-defense, according to U.S. Air Force General Charles Corcoran, as reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
"We are trying to reduce tension. We are here to fight the Islamic State, but we will defend our forces from those who are on the side of the Syrian regime," he said.
On June 18th, in the province of Raqqa, an aircraft of the U.S.-led coalition against the IS shot down a Syrian Air Force Su-22. The Pentagon claimed that the downed aircraft allegedly dropped bombs on opposition troops. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation called the actions of the coalition "military aggression towards Syria." Damascus, in turn, stated that the mentioned Su-22 was involved in an operation against the IS.
After the incident, Moscow reported that Russian air defense systems in the Arab Republic would track any air missions in the zone of the Russian Federation Air Force operation as air targets. General Corcoran confirmed that Russian air defense does track U.S. airplanes.