A United States-led coalition fighter jet has shot down a Syrian military plane in Raqqa province.
The SU-22 fighter bomber was engaged by an F/A-18E Super Hornet after it had dropped bombs near the U.S-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the Pentagon said.
It is the first time in the Syrian conflict that the U.S-led coalition has shot down a Syrian jet.
Syria condemned what it called a “flagrant attack” that would have “dangerous repercussions.”
In a separate incident, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched several missiles from Iran into eastern Syria on Sunday, targeting Islamic State fighters.
The BBC reports that the SU-22 incident took place on Sunday afternoon near the town of Tabqa, where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been fighting IS militants as part of a drive to retake the city of Raqqa, the IS stronghold further to the east.
It is believed to be the first air-to-air kill of a manned aircraft by a U.S military jet since the Kosovo campaign in 1999.
The Pentagon said pro-government militiamen had attacked SDF units, driving them from the town of Ja’Din.
The pro-government forces are not fighting the battle for Raqqa, but they have been making ground against IS in the surrounding area, south-west of the city.
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