UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern about a possible confrontation between the United States and Russia in Syria, urging Washington and Moscow to work toward alleviating tensions in the skies over the war-torn-country, so as to avoid an escalation of what the World Body’s Chief termed ‘an already dramatic conflict.’
“I am concerned, even if there were some declarations more recently that gave us the idea that there should be, that there would be a de-escalation of this situation, and I strongly hope that there will be a de-escalation of the situation because these kinds of incidents can be very dangerous in a conflict situation in which there are so many actors and in which the situation is so complex on the ground. So, indeed I am concerned, and I hope that this will not lead to any escalation of a conflict that is already as dramatic as it is,” said Guterres.
Tensions escalated on Sunday (June 18) as the U.S. military brought down a Syrian military jet near Raqqa for bombing near US-backed forces on the ground, the first time Washington had carried out such an action in the multi-pronged civil war.