The United States is seeking to re-establish a military hotline with Russia that has been vital in protecting both sides' forces operating in Syria, the top US general said Monday. 

"We will work diplomatically and militarily in the coming hours to re-establish deconfliction," said General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, referring to the special communications channel.

Russia's defense ministry earlier said it would halt its use of the incident-prevention hotline after US forces downed a Syrian jet, though Dunford noted it had remained in use "over the last few hours."