UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a press conference on Tuesday he hopes US-led coalition strikes against Syrian planes and drones will not escalate the conflict.
"Indeed, I am concerned and I hope that it would not lead to escalation of the conflict that is already as dramatic as it is," Guterres said.
On June 18, a US jet shot down a Syrian Su-22 fighter-bomber near the city of Tabqa. The US-led coalition said the Syrian aircraft attacked Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions, adding that the coalition downed the Syrian jet as part of "collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces."
Additionally, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that any airborne objects west of the Euphrates River would be tracked by Russian ground and air defenses as targets.
