A Russian fighter jet flew within a few meters of a U.S. drone over Syria and fired flares at it, striking the American aircraft and damaging its propeller, the U.S. military said on July 25, the latest in a string of aggressive intercepts by Russia in the region. A senior U.S. Air Force commander said the move on July 23 was an attempt by the Russians to knock the MQ-9 Reaper drone out of the sky and came just a week after a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. surveillance aircraft carrying a crew of four.