F/A-18s tried to stop Russian Su-34s from bombing U.S.-back Syrian rebels

U.S.-backed Syrian rebels stationed near the border with Jordan was pounded by a pair of Russian Su-34 fighters last week. The Pentagon quickly diverted two F/A-18s to the scene to stop the air strikes but the Russians resume their bombing once the jets left for refueling.

Будни авиагруппы ВКС РФ на аэродроме Хмеймим в Сирии (24)
Mil.ru [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

When the U.S. Navy fighter pilots arrived at the scene, they were able to visually identify the Russian fighter-bombers at a distance.

Once they left, the Su-34s return to strike the staging base and a small number of rebels were killed while they were busy evacuating casualties from the first air strike.

At the same time, the Pentagon reached for a hotline – setup to avoid incidents like this – and called the Russian command center in Syria. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter later told the press that the channel was not “professionally” utilized.

One thought on “F/A-18s tried to stop Russian Su-34s from bombing U.S.-back Syrian rebels

  1. It’s only a matter of time until the USA or Russia shoots down an aircraft than full out wwIII.

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