U.S.-led coalition downs Syrian warplane over Raqqa

The U.S.-led coalition shot down a Syrian warplane over Syria's northern city of Raqqa on Sunday, the Syrian army said in a statement. 

The U.S.-led coalition shot down the Syrian warplane over the city of Rasafeh in the southern countryside of Raqqa, while the warplane was carrying out a combat mission against the Islamic State (IS) group, said the general-command of the Syrian army.

In this file photo released on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows warplanes inside the Kweiras air base, east of Aleppo, Syria. [File Photo: SANA via AP]

Branding the action as flagrant aggression, the Syrian army said the downing of the Syrian war jet by the U.S. coalition is an evidence on the supportive role of the U.S. to the terror groups.

It said the attack aims at undermining the capability of the Syrian army, "the only effective power practicing its legitimate rights in fighting terrorism across the homeland."

"The attack comes at a time when the Syrian army is making strides in the war on IS terror group, which is collapsing in the Syrian desert thanks to the progress of the Syrian army and allied forces," the military statement said.

Moreover, the military statement contended that "the attack expose the standing coordination between the United States and the terrorist Daesh group," using the Arabic acronym of IS.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army warned of the "dangerous repercussions" of the attack, stressing that such acts will not dissuade the Syrian army from carrying on with fighting the terrorist groups and restoring peace and security to all of Syria.

Downing the Syrian warplane comes as the Syrian army is advancing against IS in the southern and western countryside of Raqqa, while the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are fighting IS inside Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS.

The U.S. move is not the first, as U.S. forces struck Syrian military positions in the Syrian desert, where the Syrian army was advancing against IS and becoming close to the Tanf border crossing with Iraq, where US and British military positions were installed.

The U.S. move proves that Washington has redlines for the Syrian army to stay away from, as such areas including near the Iraqi borders and Raqqa are the share of the U.S.-backed forces.