Damascus (June 21, 2017): A United States F-15 E fighter jet shot down a pro-Syrian regime drone near At Tanf, Syria on Tuesday night.
The US has shot down the third pro-regime aircraft this month. The US-led international coalition later confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the armed drone was downed “after it displayed hostile intent and advanced on Coalition forces” that “were manning an established combat outpost to the northeast of At Tanf where they are training and advising partner ground forces in the fight against ISIS.”
The drone was downed just outside the 55 kilometer de-confliction zone, according to the officials. It was an Iranian-made Shahed 129 and was thought to be armed and in firing range of US troops.
One official said that the drone was shot down because it was “assessed to be a threat.” The Iranian-made Shahed 129 is the same type that was shot down earlier this month after it dropped a “dud” munition near a patrol being carried out by coalition troops and local forces.
That drone was shot down after it dropped one of several weapons it was carrying near a position where coalition personnel are training and advising partner ground forces in the fight against ISIS.
It also comes just days after a US F/A-18 shot down a regime warplane after it dropped bombs near US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighting ISIS in the area around Tabqah, Syria, in the country’s north.
Tuesday’s statement from the international coalition stressed that the international effort remained focused on ISIS but said that coalition forces had the right to self-defense.
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