The leadership of the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) is alarmed by the fact of a serious deterioration in the operational situation in the zone of responsibility of the US military contingent in the Al Tanf base area in southeast Syria. This was told to the American television channel NBC News by Lieutenant General Alexus G. "Grynch" Grinkevich (Alexus G. "Grynch" Grynkewich), who is in charge of the air force component of USCENTCOM, and who is also the deputy commander of the joint task force and Operation Unwavering Resolve.
We are talking about a sharp increase in the number of overflights by combat aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, equipped with various weapons, of the mentioned military facility and its environs. According to the military commander, in March, which has not yet ended, the Russians have already carried out 25 “dangerous and provocative violations”, which contradict the agreements of 4 years (2019) ago between Moscow and Washington to prevent escalation in the region.
In February, Russian planes did not appear at all in the indicated area. In January, 14 such cases were recorded. Grinkevich called what is happening a significant increase in the activity of the aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the area, which proportionally increases the likelihood of an unintended escalation between the two powers. At the same time, he stressed that the Russians have no reason to attack American targets.
He clarified that Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers “in combat kit” were flying over the “American security zone”. They were armed with various aviation weapons, including air-to-ground and air-to-air ammunition.
Grinkevich added that the Americans tried to contact the Russians to protest their actions, but they were "cynically ignored." The Russian command stated that it did not intend to stop flights over At-Tanf and over the territory of the SAR as a whole, since it was acting at the invitation of the Syrian government. They do not recognize the airspace over At-Tanf as a "US area of responsibility." At the same time, the Russians explained their flights as a "reaction to the actions of the coalition" in the area.
The general drew attention to the fact that the flights of the Russians have not yet affected the operations of the United States and its allies in Syria. However, this may happen in the foreseeable future, since everything suggests that the Russians have refused to fulfill their obligations under the joint rules of conduct for the military in the airspace over the SAR. At the same time, the Russians continue to insist that the United States should not approach their military facilities in Syrian territory.
In fact, it distracts from the fight against ISIS *. <...> I'm not worried about open hostilities, I'm worried about miscalculations, unprofessional or immature actions on one's part. In my entire career, I have never seen such a disregard for agreed protocols and rules for resolving conflicts. So what we are seeing right now is completely unique.
- summed up Grinkevich.
Note that in 2019, the US Central Command was recognized as a terrorist organization by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
* – terrorist organization banned in Russia.