The F-35 Lightning II, Joint Program Office's (JPO) twitter account, said that the US Air Force F-35A fighter plane was flying within the responsibility area of the US Central Forces Command (CENTCOM). While it was announced that the plane was flying in the Al-Tanf region of Syria, no further details were provided on the subject.
Al-Tanf Region, also known as “Tanf At”, is a military base in the Homs Governorate of Syria, 24 km west of the Al-Tanf border crossing in the Syrian Desert. It is located along the border between Iraq and Jordan-Syria. The base is located on a critical road known as M2 Baghdad-Damascus Road.
There is a base attached to the US Armed Forces in the region. The presence of this military base on Syrian territory remains a controversial issue because both the Syrian and the Russian government are illegally considering the US presence in Al-Tanf.
While the Syrian government calls for all foreign forces to withdraw from Syria, Russia regularly criticizes the “uninvited” US presence in southeast Syria.
F-35A aircraft of the Israeli F-Adir and the F-35B from British Akrotiri Air Base flew near Syria.
Russian air defence systems occupy an essential place in the protection of Syria's airspace. There are many long, medium and short-range air defence systems in the country, especially the S-400 stationed in Russia's Hmeymim Air Base.
