A pair of U.S. Air Force F-22s help protect Special Forces operators on the ground in Syria from Syrian Su-24 fighter bombers on Aug. 19.
By U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
A day earlier, a pair of Syrian Su-24s had bombed the city of Hasaka and U.S. ground troops were also operating in the area. The Pentagon ordered fighters to the vicinity to protect its soldiers and as the coalition aircraft arrived at the scene, the Syrian jets departed.
The next day, another pair of Syrian fighters tried to pass thru the same airspace but this time they were challenged by the F-22. According to Reuters, both sides were just 1 mile from each other during the encounter.