The U.S. Central Command announced that for the second consecutive day, Russian air forces have been intercepting U.S. drones in the skies over Syria. A video captured by one of the American drones shows Russian aircraft dropping thermal bombs in front of the American drones. The U.S. Air Force stated that "a Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe behavior on Thursday morning with American drones," flying dangerously close to them. The U.S. air leadership urged "Russian forces in Syria to cease their reckless behavior and adhere to the expected standards." U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Michael "Eric" Kurilla expressed that "the repeated violations of agreed-upon standards and practices by Russian air forces have become a significant safety concern in the region."
On the Syrian-Iraqi border, the French military announced that two French Rafale fighter jets were forced to maneuver to avoid "unprofessional" contact from a Russian Su-35 fighter jet while they were conducting a security mission near the Iraqi-Syrian border.
