BEIRUT The United States and Iran have flexed their military muscles in unprecedented ways in Syria to deter attacks on their allies and interests, with Russia warning Washington on Monday it would treat any U.S.-led coalition planes in its area of operations as potential targets after the U.S. military downed a Syrian jet.Tensions escalated on Sunday as the U.S. military brought down the jet near Raqqa for bombing near U.S.-allied forces on the ground, and Iran launched missiles at Islamic State targets in eastern Syria - the first time each state has carried out such actions in the multi-sided Syrian war. A pro-Damascus commander said Tehran and Washington were drawing "red lines".Russia, like Iran an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, issued a warning of its own to the United States in response to the downing of the Syrian jet, saying on Monday it would view as targets any planes flying west of the Euphrates River, though it stopped short of saying it would shoot any down.The incidents reflect mounting competition for areas of Syria where Islamic State (IS) insurgents are in retreat, leaving swathes of territory up for grabs and posing the question of what comes next for U.S. policy that is shaped first and foremost by the priority of vanquishing the jihadists.The United States said the Syrian army plane shot down on Sunday had dropped bombs near fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters battling to capture the city of Raqqa from IS.Russia's Defence Ministry responded on Monday by suspending cooperation with the United States aimed at avoiding air incidents over Syria, where the Russian air force is bombing in support of Assad's campaigns against rebels and IS.The Syrian army said the jet was shot down while flying a mission against Islamic State.The SDF however accused the Syrian government on Monday of attacking its positions using planes, artillery and tanks. The area is of strategic significance to Tehran as it seeks to secure a land corridor to its allies in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and establish a "Shi'ite crescent" of influence that has long concerned U.S.-allied states in the Middle East.The missiles fired by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Sunday targeted IS in Deir al-Zor province, fast becoming the jihadists' last remaining foothold in Syria and a declared military priority of Tehran's allies in the Syrian government.The attacks have showcased the depth of Iran's military presence in Syria: Iranian drones launched from areas around Damascus allowed Revolutionary Guard commanders to assess the damage done by the missiles in real-time. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards has fired ground-to-ground missiles from western Iran into eastern Syria, aiming at the bases of militant groups Iran holds responsible for attacks in Tehran which left 18 dead last week, the Tasnim news agency reported. "I hope that the clear message of this attack will be understood by the terrorists as well as their regional and international supporters," said Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace unit, according to the website of Iranian state television.Six missiles with a range of between 650 to 700 kilometres (400-435 miles) were fired from western Iran, soaring over Iraqi territory and striking the targets in Deir al-Zor.State TV posted black and white aerial video on their website on Monday which they labelled as the moment of impact of the attack. State TV repeatedly aired video footage of the beginning of the attack Monday, showing several missiles streaking across a dark night sky.
Iran fires medium range ballistic missiles from western Iran to ISIL targets in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria, in retaliation for the June 7 Tehran attacks.