The airstrikes took place on Thursday, conducted by two Assad regime’s SU-24 attack planes targeting Kurdish forces undergoing training with US special operations advisers around the northeastern city of Hasaka, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said.
The coalition scrambled its own jets to the area in a bid to intercept Assad regime’s jets, but the regime planes had left by the time they arrived.
"This was done as a measure to protect coalition forces," Davis said.
"We will ensure their safety and the Syrian regime would be well-advised not to do things that place them at risk," he added. "We view instances that place the coalition at risk with utmost seriousness and we do have the inherent right of self-defense."
But the warning appeared to fall on deaf ears. Two Assad regime’s warplanes attempted to fly to the area again on Friday, but were met by coalition aircraft, a US defence official said in a statement.
"The presence of the coalition aircraft encouraged the Syrian aircraft to depart the airspace without further incident," he said, "No weapons were fired by the coalition fighters."
As soon as Thursday’s strike began, ground forces tried to hail pilots via radio - to no avail.
US forces then contacted Russia, which has been bombing parts of Syria for nearly a year in support of Assad, but Russian military officials said the planes were Syrian.
No coalition injuries were reported in Thursday’s strike. US forces were moved from the area and are in a safe location, Davis said without elaborating.
The coalition is now conducting additional combat air patrols in the region, he added.
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