The US military has reported that Russian fighter jets have once again engaged in dangerous actions towards US MQ-9 Reaper drones operating over Syria.
The latest incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m. local time on Thursday when Russian planes, including an SU-34 and an SU-35, flew in close proximity to the US drones and dropped flares in front of them. The encounter lasted nearly an hour in northwest Syria.
This comes after a similar incident on Wednesday, where three Russian fighter jets harassed three Reaper drones conducting a mission against Islamic State targets. In that incident, the Russian jets dropped multiple parachute flares, forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers.
Lt Gen Alexus Grynkewich expressed concern over the dangerous behaviors displayed by Russian pilots in these incidents, highlighting that this is the second instance within a 24-hour period. Earlier in March, Grynkewich had reported that armed Russian jets were regularly overflying U.S. positions in Syria.
Russian media has also disclosed that Russia and Syria are currently conducting joint air defense exercises, which began on Wednesday and are expected to last for six days.
The repeated instances of harassment towards US drones by Russian fighter jets raise tensions in the region and underscore the ongoing challenges in the Syrian conflict zone. The US military will closely monitor the situation and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of its operations.
