Washington: A senior defence official said on Friday that the US is increasing its use of fighter jets in the strategic Strait of Hormuz to protect ships from Iranian seizures and that the US is growing increasingly concerned about the growing ties between Iran, Russia, and Syria throughout the Middle East.

The US will send F-16 fighter jets to the Gulf this weekend to supplement the A-10 attack aircraft that have been patrolling the area for more than a week, the official told reporters at the Pentagon. Iran attempted to board two oil tankers last week near the strait, firing on one of them in the process.

The defence official said the F-16s will provide air cover for the ships moving through the waterway and increase the military's visibility in the area to serve as a deterrent to Iran. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss specifics of military operations in the region.

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The USS McFaul, a guided-missile destroyer, reportedly forced the Iranian naval vessels to retreat in both cases when it arrived on the scene.

The defence official also disclosed to reporters that the US is looking into a number of military options to counter rising Russian aggression over Syria, which complicated efforts to strike a leader of the Daesh group last weekend. The official declined to go into detail about the options but insisted that the US would not cede any land and would keep conducting anti-Islamic State airstrikes in the country's western region.

Since March, Russian military activity has increased in frequency and aggression. According to the official, this is due to growing coordination and cooperation between Moscow, Tehran, and the Syrian government in an effort to put pressure on the US to withdraw from Syria.

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According to the official, Iran is dependant on Russia for its assistance in the conflict in Ukraine and wants the US to leave Syria so that it can more easily deliver lethal aid to Lebanese Hezbollah and threaten Israel. The official continued, "The US has seen increased coordination, planning, and intelligence sharing, primarily between mid-level Russian and Iranian Quds force leaders in Syria, to pressure the US to withdraw troops from Syria."

There are about 900 US troops present in the nation, and additional troops enter and exit on missions aimed at militants from the Daesh group.

The US doesn't think Russian planes intend to attack US troops with bombs or shoot down manned aircraft. However, the official said that there are worries that Russian pilots will shoot down a Reaper drone and that Moscow thinks such an action would not elicit a strong US military response.

For instance, in March, a Russian warplane hit the propeller of a US surveillance drone, the MQ-9 Reaper, and then poured jet fuel on it, forcing the US military to ditch the drone into the Black Sea. Although there was no immediate military response, the incident raised tensions between the two nations and prompted a call between their defence ministers.

The commander of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, claimed last week that joint training had been conducted between the Russian and Syrian militaries. In remarks published by Syrian state media, he said Moscow is concerned about drone flights by the US-led coalition over northern Syria and described them as "systematic violations of protocols" intended to prevent clashes between the two militaries.

In order to prevent unintentional clashes in Syria, where both sides have troops on the ground and in the air, US and Russian military commanders routinely communicate over a deconfliction phone line that has been in place for several years.

According to the US official, there are frequently numerous calls per day, some of which result in irate threats as commanders disagree about an ongoing operation. According to the official's account of a conversation, the Russians frequently designate a region of space as a restricted operating zone and claim to be conducting military drills there.

As there are no exercises, the US informs Russia that its forces are engaged in a counterterrorism operation against the Daesh terrorist organisation and intend to fly over the area. The Russians respond by denying they can ensure the security of US aircraft if they travel there. The official added that once the mission starts and the aircraft enter the area, "it sometimes gets very heated," as both sides vehemently deny the other's claims.

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The most recent incident occurred on Friday morning when a Russian plane repeatedly flew over the at-Tanf garrison in eastern Syria, where US forces are assisting in the training of Syrian allies and keeping an eye on Islamic State militant activity. According to the official, a Russian An-30 aircraft was gathering information about the base.
The US took no direct action against the Russian flight because there were no fighter aircraft in the area.