The U.S. military said last week that Russia is intentionally increasing tensions in the skies over Syria with aggressive flights that could lead to a “miscalculation.”

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told reporters that the Russian Air Force has, in the past, conducted itself in a professional manner but the recent maneuvers signal some kind of “breakdown in professionalism,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

Grynkewich said since the beginning of March, Russian fighter jets have been taking to the skies over Syria as though they’re “trying to dogfight.”

“They’re maneuvering aggressively against us when our protocols would say we’re supposed to stay… several miles apart and just monitor each other,” he said, according to Defense One. “[T]hey’re aggressively maneuvering, almost like they’re trying to dogfight, if you will. That’s very concerning.”

He claimed that the Russians believe the old rules no longer apply, even though there are still open lines of communication between countries. He said he instructed his pilots “not to take the bait.” 

“We’re going to act in a professional manner, and we’re going to try to de-escalate the situation,” he said.

Grynkewich said Russia has also flown armed aircraft, including bombers, over the U.S. base called Al Tanf in southern Syria, which has been targeted in drone attacks. 

The base is on a road that the U.S. fears could be a major conduit for Iranian-backed forces on their way from Tehran all the way to Lebanon—“and Israel’s doorstep,” The Associated Press reported.

The paper noted that the U.S. and Russia have tried to strike an uneasy balancing act for years while operating in Syria and playing for opposing sides. Russia maintains close ties with Syria’s President Bashar Assad and the U.S. has been ostensibly fighting ISIS. 

U.S. troops have been in Syria since 2015 with the mandate to assist local forces in the fight against ISIS. 

There are about 900 U.S. troops currently stationed in Syria and an unknown number of mercenaries. Tensions with the U.S. have increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including an incident over the Black Sea that involved a Russian fighter downing a U.S. drone. 

The AP reported in March that special operations forces move in and out of the country and are not usually counted in the official tally.

The warmongers in the House of Representatives last month voted in opposition to a bill that would call for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Syria’s oil-rich region under the guise of fighting ISIS.

Russia’s military support for Assad has been the driving factor in the leader retaking control of large swaths of the country. The paper noted that the U.S. attempted regime change in Damascus by arming Assad’s opponents.

But Assad seems to be consolidating power and his relationship with Moscow remains strong. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month and the two discussed further military cooperation. 

TRENDPOST: Assad showed a willingness to let Russia expand its military presence in the country, including its hypersonic missiles. (See “U.S. ACCUSES RUSSIA OF MAJOR SPIKE IN AGGRESSIVE MILITARY FLIGHTS OVER SYRIA” 21 Mar 2023 and “U.S. SAYS IT KILLED NEARLY 700 SUSPECTED ISIS MEMBERS IN IRAQ, SYRIA IN 2022” 10 Jan 2023.)

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: As Gerald Celente has been stating since America’s illegal invasion of Iraq, based on lies that Saddam Hussain had weapons of mass destruction, “Do you think America would invade if Iraq’s major export was broccoli?” The same with Syria and Libya… it’s all about oil and U.S. geopolitical hegemony.

The United States has no right to be in Syria, a foreign nation that is no threat and has made no threats to America. On the other hand, the ruling president of Syria has invited the Russians into his country to fight against the U.S.-backed rebel faction.

It also should be noted the initial reason given for U.S. military presence in Syria was not fighting ISIS, but rather President Barack Obama, The Nobel Peace Prize winner, demanded that its president, Bashar al-Assad, had to go.

Yet, the American media and the public join against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while they champion Washington’s foreign entanglements.

TRENDPOST: Besides increasing tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Syria, the military presence, which includes supporting Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, has driven a wedge between the U.S. and Turkey, a NATO ally. 

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, a Turkish diplomat, said in an interview published Friday that the U.S. wants the establishment of a “terror state” in the northern reaches of the country by supporting the “YPG terror organization,” according to Hürriyet newspaper. The YPG is made up of predominantly Kurdish fighters. 

“The organization [the YPG] is trying to divide Syria, and the U.S. is delivering all kinds of support to it. The YPG/PYD is trying to set a terror state, and the U.S. is training them and supplying weapons,” he said.

The Trends Journal did not immediately hear back from the State Department after seeking comment.

Çavuşoğlu claims that Ankara’s relationship with Washington has soured because of the recent engagement of Ankara with Damascus with the mediation of Moscow and Tehran, the paper said.