US-led coalition's downing of Syrian plane 'act of aggression' and 'support for terrorists', Russia suspends memorandum ensuring air safety - UPDATES

RT
Mon, 19 Jun 2017 11:52 UTC

© Dmitriy Vinogradov / Sputnik

An S-400 air defence missile system at the Hmeymim airbase, Syria.

Moscow views the US-led coalition's attack on the Syrian government military jet as an act of aggression and assistance for the terrorists that the US is fighting against, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

"What is it then, if not an act of aggression, an act directly in breach of international law," Ryabkov told journalists in Moscow.

"If you want, it's actually help for the terrorists the US is fighting, declaring that they are conducting a counterterrorism policy," the official added.

Ryabkov added that he believed the strike "should be first of all regarded as the continuation of the US agenda of neglecting the norms of international law. Regardless of who has power in Washington, people there are used to the fact that there are circumstances allowing them to arrogantly look down on - and in some situations, to openly ignore - the basics of international relations."

A Syrian SU-22 warplane was shot down by a US F/A-18E Super Hornet on Sunday while it was on a mission in the countryside around Raqqa.

Damascus stated that the plane was carrying out operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists when it was downed.

Washington says that the Syrian warplane "dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqah" and was shot down in accordance with "rules of engagement" of Coalition partnered forces.

Comment: Typical American behavior: illegally invade another country, create your own "rules", and then blame the country you invaded for defending itself.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced it is halting cooperation with its US counterparts in the framework of the Memorandum on the Prevention of Incidents and Ensuring Air Safety in Syria following the coalition's downing of a Syrian warplane.

The ministry has demanded a thorough investigation by the US military command into the incident with the Syrian government military jet, with the results to be shared with the Russian side.

"In the areas of combat missions of Russian air fleet in Syrian skies, any airborne objects, including aircraft and unmanned vehicles of the [US-led] international coalition, located to the west of the Euphrates River, will be tracked by Russian ground and air defense forces as air targets," the Russian Ministry of Defense stated.

Downing the military jet within Syrian airspace "cynically" violates the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, Russian military said.

The actions of the US Air Force are in fact "military aggression" against Syria, the statement adds.

The ministry emphasized that Russian warplanes were on a mission in Syrian airspace during the US-led coalition's attack on the Syrian Su-22, while the coalition failed to use the communication line to prevent an incident.

Comment: How dare they fly in their own country.

"The command of the coalition forces did not use the existing communication channel between the air commands of Al Udeid Airbase (in Qatar) and the Khmeimim Airbase to prevent incidents in Syrian airspace."

The ministry considers the move "a conscious failure to comply with the obligations under the Memorandum on the Prevention of Incidents and Ensuring Air Safety in Syria," and is thus halting cooperation with the US within the memorandum framework as of June 19, the statement concluded.

Earlier, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged US forces in Syria and those of any other country to refrain from unilateral, uncoordinated action.

"We call on the US and all others who have their forces or advisers on the ground in Syria to ensure the coordination of our work," he said.

De-escalation zones are one of the possible options to move forward jointly, he said.

"We call on everyone to avoid unilateral moves, respect Syrian sovereignty and join our common work, which is agreed with the Syrian government," Lavrov said.

He also called on everyone on the ground to "respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Comment: See Andrew Korybko's analysis here: Syrian-Kurdish clashes: A new conflict or 'new détente'?

The U.S. coalition says they contacted Russia before the incident:

"At 6:43 p.m., a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqah and, in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces, was immediately shot down by a US F/A-18E Super Hornet," US Central Command said in a statement.

The statement added that before downing the jet the coalition contacted Russian counterparts "via a de-confliction line to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing."

The Russians say they didn't.

The Americans also say they talked to the Russians "several times" that day (not necessarily about this event):

"The Coalition spoke to the Russians several times yesterday and is always available to de-conflict operations to ensure the safety of Coalition aircrews and operations," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the channel has proven to be effective at "at mitigating strategic miscalculations and de-escalating tense situations."

The US-led coalition has taken steps to reposition its aircraft in Syria after recent encounters with pro-Syrian government and Russian forces, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson told Sputnik.

"As a result of recent encounters involving pro-Syrian Regime and Russian forces, we have taken prudent measures to re-position aircraft over Syria so as to continue targeting ISIS [Daesh] forces while ensuring the safety of our aircrew given known threats in the battlespace."

Just do everyone a favor and go home, Yankees. No one likes you. You're "that guy", whether you want to admit it or not.

Update: The U.S. seems to think it can act like a recidivist criminal and still be treated like a princess. Sean Spicer told reporters that the U.S. hopes to be able to keep open their communication channels with Russia, while retaining the "right" to "self-defense" (i.e., free license for illegal offense).

However, the military seems to be a bit more practical. Judging from their responses so far, they seem to be "saying that the US will re-position its aircraft aka, fly further away from where the Syrian led coalition (which includes Russia and Iran) operates while continuing to work with Russia to avoid further conflicts", as the Duran's Adam Garrie puts it.

Some Russian officials' responses are more serious: "The decisions [to track and target U.S. planes and drones] will be made in each case individually, the targets will not be attacked automatically. But in case of aggressive acts from the United States, these actions will be strictly stopped by the Russian Aerospace Forces," First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Committee on Defense and Security Frants Klintsevich said.

South Front's summary of the situation:

Update 2: Syrian Soldiers Rescue Pilot of Su-22 Fighter Jet Downed by US-Led Coalition

The soldiers of the Syrian government forces have discovered and saved the pilot of the downed Syrian Air Force airplane, an informed source at the scene told Sputnik.

"The soldiers of General Suheil al-Hassan discovered and rescued the pilot of the downed aircraft. Now, Col. Fahd is in hospital and nothing threatens his life," the source said.

According to the source, the downed Syrian pilot was found about 30 kilometers (17 miles) south of Raqqa. The rescue operation was complicated by the fact that the pilot's landing site was in close proximity to the positions of Daesh (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) which also searched for the Syrian pilot.