Washington to Moscow: Stop "Irresponsible Behavior" in Syria

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called on Russia today, Saturday, to "adhere to the laws that protect the airspace of nations and cease irresponsible behavior," in response to questions about encounters between Russian aircraft and U.S. drones in Syria. Austin stated at a press conference in Australia: "We will continue to communicate through existing channels to express our concerns and will keep involving senior leadership as necessary. But again, we will continue to operate as we always have in the airspaces, and we will protect our interests and resources." Earlier, the U.S. military revealed that an MQ-9 drone suffered "significant" damage when it was struck by gunfire from a Russian fighter aircraft while flying over Syria last week.