U.S. shoots down drone close to Iraqi-Syrian border – statement
The U.S.-led coalition said on Tuesday it had shot down an armed "pro-Syrian regime" drone that had been bearing down on its forces near a garrison in Syria's southeast, and a Western intelligence source identified the aircraft as Iranian. It marked the second time in three days U.S. forces have shot down an aircraft operated […]The U.S.-led coalition said on Tuesday it had shot down an armed "pro-Syrian regime" drone that had been bearing down on its forces near a garrison in Syria's southeast, and a Western intelligence source identified the aircraft as Iranian.
It marked the second time in three days U.S. forces have shot down an aircraft operated by Damascus or its allies in Syria, and reflected mounting tensions over a stretch of the Syrian-Iraqi frontier where U.S. forces have established a base.
In a statement, U.S. forces said the drone was fired on after it "displayed hostile intent and advanced on coalition forces". The Western intelligence source said it was "unquestionably Iranian". "They are testing the limits," the source told Reuters without elaborating.
