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