The Pentagon reported that the U.S. military shot down an armed Turkish drone in northeastern Syria
The drone came within 500 meters of American troops, prompting U.S. forces to seek safety in bunkers
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, the new Joint Chiefs chairman, spoke with their Turkish counterparts to emphasize the importance of their relationship
The decision to shoot down the Turkish drone was made to protect U.S. forces and was not an intentional act of aggression by Turkey
U.S. officials made multiple calls to Turkish military officials to warn them of the presence of U.S. forces on the ground before ordering the shootdown
Turkish drones were conducting airstrikes near Hassakeh, some of which occurred within a restricted operating zone near U.S. troops
U.S. F-16 fighter jets shot down the Turkish drone to eliminate the threat to American forces
On the same day as the incident, a drone attack killed at least 80 people in government-controlled Homs, Syria, during a military graduation ceremony
Syria's military blamed insurgents for the attack and threatened to respond with "full force
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Turkey, despite their status as NATO allies, due to differences regarding Kurdish forces and other issues