US military says it shot down an Iranian-made drone in Syria
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Alaina
- . February 15, 2023
- . Update: February 15, 2023 10:14 pm
The United States (US) military shot down an Iranian-made drone in northeastern Syria on Tuesday, according to a statement early Wednesday.
The U.S. military reportedly said in the statement that its forces shot down an Iranian-manufactured UAV in Syria at around 2:30 pm local time.
The US Central Command said on Twitter that the UAV was trying to conduct reconnaissance on Mission Support Site Conoco, a patrol base in northeastern Syria.
In recent months, the US has deployed a number of new systems in Iraq and Syria in order to fight against explosive drones. Reportedly, nearly 900 US soldiers have been stationed in eastern Syria. The US reportedly assists its Kurdish allies in the country’s northern regions.
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In recent months, the Islamic Republic of Iran came into the limelight over its drone supplies to other countries. In December 2022, the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions against Iran over its drone deliveries to Russia in the war against Ukraine. The Ministers of the EU of Foreign Affairs slammed Iran for supplying drones to Russia, claiming that the “weapons provided by Iran were used by Russian forces against Ukrainians.” The EU reportedly said it had enough evidence to prove that Iran sold drones to Russia. The EU further said that Iran was responsible for the “murders of Ukrainians.”
Western powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have repeatedly accused Iran of supplying a number of drones to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
In October 2022, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, said that Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was hit by swarms of kamikaze drones. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that Iranian drones were used by Russian forces. The Ukrainian military said that Iranian drones were targeting towns in Ukraine. The military further said it shot down 37 Iranian Shahed-136 drones launched by Russian forces.
