Russia says it sees U.S. downing of Syrian plane an act of aggression; says any aircraft in its area of operation is considered a target
Russia on Monday threatened to intercept any aircraft in its area of operations in Syria, according to official Russian news outlets.
The threat came a day after a U.S. warplane shot down a Syrian army jet in the southern Raqqa countryside, with Washington saying the jet had dropped bombs near U.S.-backed forces and Damascus saying the plane was downed while flying a mission against Islamic State militants.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it will consider as targets any flying objects in areas where its air forces operate in Syria, the TASS news agency reported.
This includes aircraft and drones operated by the U.S.-led international coalition west of the Euphrates River, the Defense Ministry said, according to Interfax.
The Defense Ministry said the U.S. didn’t use the communication channel with Russia prior to downing the Syrian plane.
Earlier Monday, the Russian deputy foreign minister said Moscow sees the U.S. strike as an act of aggression and support of terrorists.
