A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Fighter jet shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday, marking an unprecedented new escalation in the conflict between the U.S. and the Assad regime in Syria. U.S. Central Command said the plane was shot down in “collective self-defense of coalition partnered forces” after it had targeted U.S.-backed forces near the ISIS-held city of Raqqa. The Syrian army claims the fighter jet was conducting a mission against ISIS militants. Either way, it’s the first time the U.S. has shot down a Syrian aircraft since the beginning of the country’s civil war in 2011, and the first time it has shot down a warplane anywhere in more than a decade.
The Pentagon says that the incident followed an earlier skirmish between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, S.D.F. and Syrian-government-backed forces near Raqqa in North Syria. The U.S. claims that the Syrian forces, including regime aircraft, attacked the S.D.F fighters when then did not respond to the U.S. military’s attempts to halt the attack through a de-confliction channel; the attack didn’t stop until U.S. warplanes buzzed the area in a show of force. A few hours later, a Syrian SU-22 fighter jet attacked the same S.D.F. fighters and was quickly shot down by a Navy F/A-18, reportedly killing the Syrian pilot. The U.S. claims the action was justified under the rules of engagement and because it was in self-defense of U.S.-backed forces, it also made clear that the U.S. will now be willing to target any regime aircraft that threatens U.S. allies on the ground.
“The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat,” the Pentagon warned in a statement following the incident.
This is first time the U.S. has engaged in air-to-air combat in Syria, signaling an escalation of the conflict. It is is also the first time an American aircraft has shot down any country's plane in air-to-air combat since 1999, when a U.S. Air Force F-16 shot down a Serbian Mig-29 during the Kosovo air campaign.
