For a change, Pentagon praises Russia for calming tensions in southern Syria

The Pentagon credited Russia on Friday for helping calm tensions in southern Syria after a US jet shot down a pro-regime combat drone that had fired at coalition forces.

In the first incident of its type, the pro-regime drone on Thursday fired what turned out to be a dud bomb at US-led coalition forces close to the coalition’s At-Tanaf garrison near the Jordanian border.

The Pentagon has not said who was operating the drone or where it came from, but the At-Tanaf area has seen a surge in activity of Iran-backed troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Iran makes an armed drone similar in description to the one shot down.

Russia is fighting for Assad and has considerable sway over the various forces on the battlefield.

Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said any escalation in hostilities between the coalition and the pro-regime forces had been avoided thanks mainly to Russia’s influence.

“Russia has been very helpful and I think that the calm we see today is largely due to their efforts,” Davis said. “They are trying to get the other parties, the pro-regime, the Iranian-backed militias to do the right thing and to prevent them from taking actions that are destabilising.”

It was an unusual statement for the Pentagon, which in the past has roundly criticised Russian operations in Syria.