US using hotline with Russia in Syria – Pentagon

The mechanism is in place to prevent ‘miscalculations’ amid a surprise terrorist offensive, spokesman Pat Ryder has said

The US and its allies operating in the Middle East have used a de-escalation hotline with Russia amid the ongoing terrorist offensive in Syria to avoid potential clashes, a Pentagon spokesman has said.

Last week, the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group, an offshoot of Jabhat al-Nusra, and its allies launched a surprise attack in Syria, pushing back government forces and capturing significant territory in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.

The Syrian Army, which reportedly halted the jihadist advances in several places along a 100km front, was supported by waves of Russian airstrikes that Moscow claimed killed hundreds of militants.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder signaled that Washington maintains contact with Moscow in light of the latest escalation.

“My understanding is that the CJTFOIR [Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve] commander has used the hotline that we have with Russia to ensure that we have open lines of communication given the fact that we do have forces operating in fairly close proximity as it relates geographically to Syria,” he said.

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Ryder declined to provide any details regarding the conversations with the Russian counterparts, but said Moscow and Washington “have that communication mechanism to prevent potential miscalculation.” He added that the US continues to monitor the situation and is also in contact with other regional partners.

The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the matter. Moscow intervened in the Syrian conflict in 2015 at the request of the government in Damascus and played a significant role in inflicting heavy defeats on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and other terrorist groups.

Regarding the terrorist offensive, the spokesman stressed that America is “in no way involved in the operations you see playing out in and around Aleppo in northwestern Syria,” noting that the US, along with Russia and several other nations, has designated HTS as a terrorist organization.

He added that Washington urges de-escalation but remains committed to defeating IS and is “fully prepared to defend and protect our personnel and assets deployed to the region to include our forces deployed to Syria.”

The US has around 900 troops stationed in Syria with the stated mission of fighting terrorism. Damascus, however, insists that the American troops are deployed there illegally and are mainly “stealing oil.” In August 2022, Syrian and Russian officials claimed that US-affiliated entities “illegally export” up to 66,000 barrels of oil daily from the country.