Russian jet flies near coalition jet over Syria — US official

WASHINGTON: A Russian fighter jet unintentionally came close to a US-led coalition aircraft over Syria earlier this month, a US defense official said on Friday.

The defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the incident took place on Oct. 17 in the evening. The Russian jet lost situational awareness and flew across the nose of the coalition plane, close enough that the jet’s wake was felt, the official said.

The American and Russian



militaries have a communication mechanism in place aimed at reducing the risk of collisions and other incidents as they both conduct air operations over Syria. Top US civilian and military officials speak by videoconference with their Russian counterparts to discuss operation safety.

The incident follows similar close encounters between Russian and American planes. In September, a Russian fighter jet came within 10 feet (3 meters) of an American spy plane over the Black Sea.