RUSSIA THREATENS TO TARGET US PLANES
Russia is retaliating following the U.S. military's shooting down of a Syrian warplane.
Moscow is threatening aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition in Syrian-controlled airspace and has suspended a hotline intended to avoid collisions.
In a statement, the Russian defense ministry says that, starting Monday, it will track all jets and drones of the U.S.-led coalition west of the Euphrates River and treat them as targets.
The ministry also called on the U.S. military to provide a full account of why it decided to shoot down the Syrian SU-22.
Russia, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, also said it was suspending coordination with the United States in Syria over socalled "de-confliction zones."
The United States and Russia have a standing agreement that should prevent in-the-air incidents involving U.S. and Russia jets engaged in operations in Syria.
Speaking in Washington on Monday, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford says talks, not "hyperbole," are needed.
The U.S. military confirmed a U.S. F-18 Super Hornet shot down Sunday a Syrian SU-22 on Sunday after it dropped bombs near U.S.backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) conducting operations against the Islamic State group.
The downing of the warplane — the first time in the six-year conflict — came amid another first: Iran fired several ballistic missiles Sunday night at IS positions in eastern Syria in what it said was a message to archrival Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Meanwhile, the Dutch government is sending a military refueling plane to Kuwait to assist the U.S.led coalition carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
The government announced the deployment Monday, saying a KDC-10 refueling plane left the Eindhoven military air base in the southern Netherlands for Kuwait, where it will be based along with a 40-strong support crew.
During a six-week deployment earlier this year, a Dutch plane refueled 189 coalition plans.
The government says that later this year it will send a C-130 cargo plane to the region to help transport members of the coalition and their equipment.