Russia says US-led coalition violated Syrian airspace 8 times in 1 day

MOSCOW

The United States-led coalition in Syria violated Syrian airspace eight times over the past day, a senior Russian military official said Thursday.

Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, the head of the Russian military's Reconciliation Center in Syria, said that all of the violations occurred in the Al-Tanf region in Homs governorate, which serves as a passage for international air routes.

"Eight violations of Syrian airspace by three pairs of F-16 fighter jets, one pair of Rafale fighter jets and one pair of coalition Typhoon fighter jets were recorded in the area of Al-Tanf," Gurinov said.

In addition, drones of the international anti-terrorist coalition led by the US violated deconfliction protocols 15 times over the past day, he noted.

"The US continues to misinform the global society regarding illegal flights of their unmanned aerial vehicles in Syrian airspace, accusing Russia of 'dangerous rapprochements,’" he said.

All dangerous situations in Syrian skies are provoked by coalition aircraft flying in violation of Syrian airspace and deconfliction protocols, Gurinov stressed.