Shooting down Syrian fighter jet, US may light Middle East powder keg

The action of shooting down a Syrian plane could make the US an enemy of many regional powers.

A US F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet takes off from an aircraft carrier. Photo: Reuters.

The US fighter jet's shooting down of a Syrian attack aircraft to protect rebel forces in Raqqa city on June 18 has met with fierce reactions from Syria and Russia. Experts say the fierce reactions from all sides after this incident have made the risk of an unexpected conflict between major countries on the Syrian battlefield clearer than ever.according toWashington Post.

According to analysts, the situation in Syria is heating up as Russia announcedsuspending an agreement to avoid collisions with US-led coalition aircraft in Syrian airspace, and threatening to treat all aircraft operating in the western skies of the country as "targets".

The Syrian battlefield is not only heating up with the drastic actions of the US and Russia.Iran launched a barrage of medium-range missiles into Islamic State-held territory in eastern Syria on June 18, marking the first time Tehran has officially attacked an extremist group in its neighboring country and sparking more aggressive military moves against regional foes.

The moment Iran launched missiles at rebels in Syria

Pavel Baev, an expert on the Russian military at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, said Russia's response to the incident was "mainly aimed at demonstrating power" but "it also carries a lot of risks because there are a lot of anxious fingers on dangerous buttons".

According to Baev, that "button" could be activated in the Middle East at any time if Syrian army or Russian air force aircraft continue to bomb the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an armed organization backed by the US in weapons and training.

The SDF is massing its forces to besiege the IS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, while the Syrian government army is also trying to retake rebel-held lands. If a clash between the two forces breaks out, the US will have to intervene.protecting allies, but also risks provoking tensions with Russian, Iranian and Syrian troops in Raqqa.

If the situation spirals out of control from a serious incident, the US will likely be drawn into a new conflict in Syria, where the goal of destroying IS gives way to factional fighting, Baev said.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the US action in shooting down the Syrian fighter jet was a "dangerous escalation in a war that Washington has no intention of fighting."

The US military appears to be aware of this risk, saying it has no intention of confronting Syrian or Russian government forces. Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, said “appropriate groundwork” had been put in place to help ensure military operations remain focused on the fight against IS.

"Engaging in a game of challenge is not what the military of either side wants, they are both political tools, but not wise at the moment, for both Moscow and Washington," Mr. Baev commented.

Meanwhile, many Russian officials believe that the US wants to send a clear message to Russia after shooting down the Syrian fighter jet. Mr. Frants Klintsevich, deputy chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Russian Senate, called this an "aggressive and provocative" act.

"It seems that America's Donald Trump is the source of new dangers both in the Middle East and around the world," Klintsevich wrote on his personal Facebook page.

According to VNE