Russia warns US after Syrian warplane downed

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Russia on Monday warned that it would track US-led coalition aircraft in Syria as "legitimate targets" in response to the downing of a Syrian military plane on Sunday.

The incident-prevention hotline, established in 2015 between Russia and US, has also been halted, TASS news agency reported on Monday citing Russia's Defense Ministry.

A military vehicle of SDF in the west of Raqqa Province, Syria, June 18, 2017. /VCG Photo

"The shooting down of a Syrian Air Force jet in Syria’s airspace is a cynical violation of Syria’s sovereignty," the defense ministry said, adding that any aircraft, including planes and drones, of the international coalition detected in the west of the Euphrates River will be followed as air targets by Russian ground-based air defense and air defense aircraft.

The White House said on Monday that coalition forces fighting ISIL militants in Syria would retain the right to self- defense, and said the United States would work to keep lines of communication open with Russia amid new tensions.

A Syrian warplane was shot down on Sunday evening after government forces engaged the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters battling ISIL, near the country's northern city of Raqqa.