French, British Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers Enroute To Syria.

A pair of UK's Typhoon fighters and French Mirage fighters scrambled to intercept Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers as they flew over international waters.

UK has scrambled two Typhoon aircraft to monitor two Russian Blackjack bombers that flew near British airspace various French and British media reported Thursday.

"We can confirm that quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby scrambled to monitor two Blackjack bombers while they were in the UK area of interest," a Royal Air Force spokesman said in a statement. "At no point did the Russian aircraft enter UK territorial airspace.” he added.

Separately, the French air force said two of its Mirage military aircraft escorted the two bombers down the French coast before handing over to Spanish military planes.

A French official said the incident was the fourth time Russian fighters had been intercepted on the French coast over the past two years, a period of tension between Russia and Western European countries related to the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that the flight of its bomber violated no international rules. He also expressed surprise that such attention was paid to a routine flight. "They flew over neutral waters in the Barents and the Norwegian seas, as well as in the Atlantic Ocean," Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen Igor Konashenkov said.