Last night I said there would be a response to our shooting down of a Syrian military jet.

Well, there was. But the response was even more forceful than I expected.



Russia has said it will treat US warplanes operating in parts of Syria where its air forces are present as "targets" amid a diplomatic row caused by the downing of a Syrian jet.

The country's defence ministry said the change in position would apply to all aircraft, including those operating as part of the US-backed coalition.

It will also suspend a hotline between Russia and the US set up to prevent mid-air collisions.

The ministry said in a statement: "All kinds of airborne vehicles, including aircraft and UAVs of the international coalition detected to the west of the Euphrates River will be tracked by the Russian SAM systems as air targets."

...On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said its warplanes had been operating in the area of the encounter between the U.S. and Syrian jets. It said the coalition had not used the deconflicting hotline to warn the Russian jet.

This is NOT a "diplomatic row". This is a dangerous escalation that could get people killed.

The dangers here are virtually without limit.

Almost overlooked in all this was the Kurds being bombed. They responded too.



In a statement Monday, the SDF warned that it would retaliate in the face of further aggression from pro-Assad forces, raising the possibility that the U.S. could be forced to deviate further from its stated policy in Syria, which only involves targeting Islamic State militants.

This is potentially a huge event, that could split Damascus and the Syrian Kurds, which until now have been cooperating with each other (for the most part).

It works great for those in Washington looking for regime change, but no so much for Damascus. The Syrian Kurds are already acting like a separate nation. Turkey is not amused.

Washington suspects Turkey of training local armies to go to war with the Syrian Kurds.

Finally, Iran had a response too.



Iran says its ballistic missile strike targeting the Islamic State group in Syria was not only a response to deadly attacks in Tehran, but a powerful message to archrival Saudi Arabia and the United States, one that could add to already soaring regional tensions.

... “The Saudis and Americans are especially receivers of this message,” he said. “Obviously and clearly, some reactionary countries of the region, especially Saudi Arabia, had announced that they are trying to bring insecurity into Iran.”

Sunday’s missile strike came amid recent confrontations in Syria between U.S.-backed forces and pro-government factions. The U.S. recently deployed a truck-mounted missile system into Syria as Assad’s forces cut off the advance of America-backed rebels along the Iraqi border.