US F/A‑18 Hornet dangerously intercepts Russian AN‑30 over Syria

On Sunday, an incident occurred in Syrian airspace. A coalition fighter-bomber plane from the United States "dangerously" approached a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Homs province area, according to Reuters, citing reports from Russian media.

"A coalition multirole fighter F/A-18 Hornet made dangerous contact with a Russian An-30, which was conducting a scheduled flight in Syrian airspace," reported Captain Oleg Ignasiuk, deputy head of the Russian military centre in Syria.

"The Russian crew, demonstrating high professionalism, quickly took necessary actions to prevent a collision," he stated.

The reported incident took place near the American base Al-Tanf, located in the Homs province, according to Russian sources. As of now, the United States Department of Defense has not provided an official reaction to the situation.

The United States maintains a contingent of 900 soldiers in Syria and an additional 2,500 military personnel in neighbouring Iraq. The primary objectives of their presence are to provide advisory roles and support local forces in countering the threat from ISIS, which in 2014 gained control over significant areas of both countries, only to be later pushed to the margins.