WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Sunday shot down a Syrian Air Force fighter jet that bombed local forces aligned with the Americans in the fight against Islamic State militants, an action that appeared to mark a new escalation of the conflict. A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday that posed a threat to U.S.-backed forces operating on the ground, marking a first in the six-year-old conflict in that country, according to the U.S. military. The U.S.-led coalition headquarters in Iraq said in a written statement Sunday that a U.S. F-18 Super Hornet shot down a Syrian government SU-22 after it dropped bombs near the U.S. partner forces, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. According to a statement from the Pentagon, pro-Syrian regime forces attacked the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces-held town of Ja’Din, south of Tabqah in northern Syria, wounding a number of SDF fighters and driving the SDF from the town. Following the pro-Syrian forces attack, the coalition called its Russian counterparts “to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing,” according to the statement. A few hours later, the Syrian SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters and, “in collective self-defense of coalition-partnered forces,” was immediately shot down by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet, the Pentagon said. Bush is again launching airstrikes from the eastern Mediterranean, where it is closer to Raqqa and other Islamic State targets in Syria as allied forces’ fight against the terrorist group escalates. “The Coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend Coalition or partner forces from any threat.”

Earlier in the day, pro-Syrian regime forces attacked the Syrian Democratic Forces, who were held in the town of Ja’Din, south of Tabqah, it said.
A U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet shoots down a Syrian Arab Air Force warplane after it had dropped bombs near Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in Raqqa Governorate, according to United States Central Command. The Syrian Armed Forces says its jet was on a combat mission against ISIL.