A drone spotted flying over the US base at Al-Tanf in Syria was shot down this week after the US military deemed it to be a potential threat, less than two months after a barrage of drones and rockets targeted the outpost.
Two drones were spotted near the US base in Syria’s southern Homs province on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Captain Bill Urban revealed on Wednesday. One of the drones “was assessed as demonstrating hostile intent and was shot down” as it was travelling “deeper into the Al Tanf Deconfliction Zone,” while the other drone left the area on its own, Urban said.
No injuries or damage to the base were reported during the incident and it is not known whether the drones were armed.
The Tuesday incident unfolded less than two months after the occupying military base was subject to a massive attack. On October 20, a mixture of drones and rockets rained down on the base, reportedly inflicting severe material damage on the facilities. The US military pointed the finger at Iran for the October incident. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters at the time, “We have seen these kinds of attacks in the past from Shia militia groups, which we know are backed and supported by Iran, but I'm not going to talk specifics.”
The Al-Tanf military base was established in the Homs Governorate in March 2016, purportedly to train anti-Islamic State rebels. Syria – as well as Russia – consider the base to be an illegal occupation. Around 200 American troops are currently stationed there.