US says it ‘destroyed’ 2 drones in southwest Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US army on Monday said it had downed two suicide drones near its troops in southwest Syria. The incident comes amid renewed drone attacks against American forces in Syria and Iraq by pro-Iran militants. 

“On the morning of Oct. 23, 2023, the U.S. military destroyed two one-way attack drones near U.S. and Coalition forces in southwest Syria before they reached their intended targets. There are no casualties or damage,” said the US Central Command in a post on X, previously Twitter.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

US troops in northeast Syria, western Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have come under rocket and drone attacks in recent days. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran and affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has claimed responsibility for some of them.

The group has linked the attacks to the US support for Israel which has been heavily bombarding Gaza for days following a surprise attack by the armed wing of Palestinian Hamas Movement. Thousands have been killed on both sides.

 “In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in the region and will take necessary and proportionate action to defend U.S. and Coalition forces,” added the CENTCOM in the post.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, reported on Monday that the US had downed three drones in central Syria. 

Syrian state media  said later on Monday that the "Iraqi resistance" targeted two US bases in Syria with two drones, which "resulted in direct injuries."

It is not clear if this attack is linked to the one reported by the CENTCOM late Monday.