Moscow confirms Russian strike on US garrison in Syria
The Russians cited the cause of the incident as the "refusal of the U.S. to provide information about their actions."
Russia admitted bombing the base used by American and British elite troops in Syria last month as reported by Interfax, citing a military-diplomatic source in Moscow.
"The Russians have already given an explanation for this incident. This was the topic of a video conference between the U.S. and Russia. There is no reason to repeat the discussion," the source from the agency said. The Russians said that the incident was caused by the "refusal of the U.S. to provide information about their operations."
"The United States did not put this area on the list of locations where U.S.-loyal opposition groups that observe the ceasefire operate," the source said. In addition, the source said, the international coalition was warned in advance that Russia was preparing airstrikes in that area.
The Wall Street Journal wrote that on June 16th Russian planes attacked the U.S. and British base in Syria, which they use to protect Jordan from the attacks of the so-called Islamic State. Military staff left the base the day before the air strikes.
On July 14th the Washington Post revealed the military coordination plan between the United States and Russia in Syria.
Earlier the Financial Times wrote that the army of Bashar al-Assad supported by Russia and the Syrian opposition, which is supported by the United States, may collide in a battle for the capital of the Islamic State - Raqqa.
Russia launched a military operation in Syria on September 30th last year at the request of the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. On March 14th, Putin ordered the withdrawal of the main Russian forces from their Syrian base. Later, Putin said that Russia will continue to provide Assad with financial and intelligence support including aerospace surveillance.