Coalition Shoots Down Iran-Made Drone In Syria: US Official

Iranians walk past Iran's Shahed 129 drone displayed during celebrations, February 11, 2016

The US-led coalition shot down an Iran-made drone operated by pro-regime forces in southern Syria early Tuesday, U.S. forces said in a statement, the second such incident in less than two weeks.

A US military official told AFP that an F-15 Strike Eagle jet destroyed the Shahed 129 drone around 12:30 am (2130 GMT) northeast of the At-Tanaf garrison, which is close to the Jordanian border.

A Western intelligence source told Reuters the so-called UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) was Iranian.

The statement said the location was close to where another "pro-regime" drone - which intelligence sources separately identified as Iranian - was shot down on June 8 after dropping bombs near coalition forces.

"They were threatening our forces on the ground," the official said.

"Their course was on a run toward our folks to drop a munition on them."

The U.S. military has repeatedly warned forces fighting on Assad's side to stay away from a "deconfliction zone", agreed with Russia, near a garrison used by U.S. special forces and U.S.-backed militia around Al Tanf.

Reporting based on Reuters, AFP