Australian air strikes in Syria halt after Russia threat

There has been a temporary halt to Australian air strike operations in Syria after a US fighter jet shot down a Syrian warplane.

A supplied image obtained 2015 shows An F/A-18A Hornet refueling during the first mission of Operation OKRA flown over Syria. Source: Royal Australian Air Force

Australian air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria have been halted as a precautionary measure after a US fighter jet shot down a Syrian warplane.

Russia has warned that it will treat all US coalition aircraft west of the Euphrates River in Syria as "airborne targets" as a result of the incident.

A spokesman for Australia's defence department said strike operations in Syria have temporarily ceased.

"Australian Defence Force protection is regularly reviewed in response to a range of potential threats," the spokesman said.

Defence is monitoring the situation closely.

Air strike operations into Iraq are unaffected.

Russia's defence ministry has announced it is ending US-Russian co-operation in Syria, which had been designed to prevent a direct conflict between the great powers.