US shoots down a Syrian warplane and Russia threatens retaliation

Russia has taken a strong stand against the incident in which a US fighter jet shot down a syrian warplane that was dropping bombs on a region close to coalition forces Northern Province of Raqqa. The United States and Russia have been extending air cover to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria since 2015 to help him oust the ISIS, and both the super powers have a mutual understanding of not engaging in any air to air incidents while operating over Syria.

Russia feels that the agreement has been violated and has threatened to retaliate. They have said that Russia will treat U.S.-led coalition planes flying in Syria and west of the Euphrates River, as targets.

How the situation arose

According to Fox News, a Super Hornet jet belonging to the USAF had shot down a Syrian warplane in an air-to-air combat after it had dropped bombs near U.S. coalition forces who are taking on ISIS. The USAF does not engage in aerial combats as a matter of principle, and this was the first time, in nearly two decades, that it has taken such an action. The last time was in 1999 over Kosovo when an F-15 Eagle shot down a Serbian MiG-29.

This shooting down incident has led to an escalation of tension between the superpowers. The Pentagon has clarified that American pilots, who are operating over Syria, will defend themselves from threats of Russia if it feels America or its coalition partners are threatened.

Defense spokesperson Maj. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway has remarked that there will be no letup in operations to be undertaken by the coalition forces to target the ISIS and its hideouts and the United States will continue to provide aerial support to coalition troops on the ground to achieve that objective.

The Russian defense ministry has described this as a deliberate failure of Washington to honor its commitments as spelled out under the de-confliction deal.

The ministry has also added that, in view of the shooting down of the Syrian plane, it would suspend coordination with America in Syria over so-called "de-confliction zones."

Syria continues to remain tense

Syria is embroiled in a civil war for many years and with the entry of ISIS militants into the country, normal life there is in turmoil. Russia always had a soft corner for President Bashar al-Assad while the United States wanted to remove him. However, ISIS forced them to rewrite the equations because it was perceived as a common enemy.

The incident of the shooting down a Syrian warplane should not flare up into a confrontation between the two superpowers. They are already at loggerheads in the Black Sea with NATO exercises and in the Korean peninsula with military exercises with its ally South Korea. Therefore, they must sit together to discuss and resolve the issue amicably because ISIS is still their common enemy.