Russia on Thursday warned the United States of actions in Syria where US special forces and US-backed militia are operating, Reuters reported. Russia said its forces had came under fire from the US-backed fighters twice on Thursday.

Russia said the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting with the US-led coalition, had taken up positions on the eastern banks of the Euphrates with US special forces. They had opened fire with mortars and artillery twice on Syrian troops working with Russian special forces, alleged Moscow.

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Russian military spokesperson Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that the US military command had been told “in no uncertain terms any attempts to open fire from areas where SDF fighters are located would be quickly shut down”.

Last week, the US-backed militia had said that they had come under attack from Russian jets and Syrian government forces. Moscow, however, had denied the allegations.

Rising tensions

Russia’s warning comes amid rising tension in Syria between the US and its allies, and Russia, the Syrian regime and Iranian-backed militias, as both converge on the territory held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria. The SDF’s advances have been on the eastern bank of the river, and the convergence of the two rival offensives has increased tensions in Deir al-Zor.