US Navy shoots down Syrian jet

A US Navy jet shot down a Syrian plane that had dropped bombs near fighters aligned with the United States, the military coalition said on Sunday.

The US F-18 Super Hornet downed the Syrian SU-22 near Tabqa after the latter aircraft bombed a site occupied by members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, according to a statement by the US military.

The US acted in “collective self-defense” of its partner forces, the statement said.

It added that coalition off icials contacted the Russians, who are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat,” the statement said.

In April, the United States launched cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in response to Assad’s chemical attack on his own citizens.

Tabqa has been the focus of fighting recently as the SDF attempts to surround the nearby city of Raqqa and retake it from ISIS.

According to a statement from the Pentagon, pro-Syrian regime forces on Sunday attacked the SDF-held town of Ja’Din, south of Tabqa in northern Syria, wounding a number of SDF fighters and driving them from the town.

Coalition aircraft conducted a show of force and stopped the initial pro-regime advance toward the town, the Pentagon said.

Following the pro-Syrian forces’ attack, the coalition called its Russian counterparts “to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing,” according to the statement.

A few hours later, the Syrian SU-22 dropped bombs near the SDF fighters and was immediately shot down by the US jet, the Pentagon said.