A top American military official warned on Wednesday that armed Russian fighter jets have been flying over a US military base in Syria’s Homs governorate on a daily basis in March.
Russia Creating “Uncomfortable Situation”
Speaking to NBC News, Commander of air operations for the US Central Command Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich noted that Russian jets have violated Al Tanf’s airspace roughly 25 times in March compared to zero flights in February and 14 in January.
“It is a substantial increase,” Grynkewich said, adding that with these regular flights, Moscow is on track to double overhead flights. “They’re regularly flying directly overhead of our units, and I’ve defined directly overhead, as within about a mile,” he said.
Noting that Russian flights have created an “uncomfortable situation” for US troops stationed in the base, Grynkewich warned that Moscow could further escalate tensions.
WATCH: The #Pentagon released a video showing a Russian fighter jet colliding with a #US drone over the #BlackSea. pic.twitter.com/FC9fuDdROT
— Statecraft (@statecraftdaily) March 16, 2023
Moreover, the commander highlighted that the flights are in violation of a 2019 agreement between Moscow and Washington aimed at reducing hostilities.
2019 Deconfliction Agreement
Per NBC, the US and Russia established a Syrian airspace agreement to avoid aerial clashes between their respective military planes. The deal prevents direct overflight by armed aircraft over their respective bases in Syria.
“The Russians have, over the last several months, seemed to abandon that tenet of the protocols,” Grynkewich said, adding that the US is adhering to its side of the bargain. He stressed that while the Kremlin keeps insisting that commitment to the agreement is key to maintaining calm in Syria, Moscow has shown no qualms about violating the truce.
Downing of US Drone Over Black Sea
Grynkewich made the warning amid increased tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russian aggression in Ukraine. Last week, both sides came close to a dangerous military escalation after the US claimed that a Russian Su-27 warplane downed a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea.
While Russia has denied that it deliberately brought down the drone, the Pentagon released footage of a Su-27 dumping fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle, causing it to crash.