US Shoots Down Alleged Iranian Drone Over Eastern Syria

Drone got close to US ground troops, was 'deemed a threat'

An estimated 900 US troops remain in Syria, and while they don’t do much, they can still serve as a pretext for US military action. This weekend, US warplanes attacked and destroyed an alleged Iranian drone over Eastern Syria, nominally to protect the troops.

The US coalition spokesman said the drone was near the Mission Support Site Green Village, and that warplanes “successfully engaged and defeated” the drone after it was deemed a threat.

Details on the drone are still scant, and it’s not clear if it was an armed drone or just a surveillance drone. Either could be enough for the US to declare it a threat for the purpose of attacking it.

The Green Village outpost was established in 2018 to protect the Omar oilfield. Control over the oilfield and potentially profiting from it has been one of the goals of US forces in the area, according to officials.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.