A series of incidents in February have further complicated the situation in Syria.

On February 10th, Israel claimed it shot down an Iranian drone that had flown into Israeli airspace. In retaliation, Israel despatched eight F-16s to bomb Iran-backed positions in Syria. One of these jets was brought down by Syrian air defense forces. Israelis launched a second air raid in response.  Also on February 10th, a Turkish army helicopter was downed by Kurdish YPG fighters near the northern Syrian town of Afrin. It was the first major blow to Turkish forces since their offensive against Kurdish fighters in the border region began in January.  Russia, another heavyweight in the war-torn country, also experienced mishaps. On February 5th, Syrian rebels shot down a Russian SU-25 jet in the northern province of Idlib, killing its pilot. Moscow answered with intensive raids on rebel targets in the province.