US army repels attack on its base in western Syria by downing 2 drones

TAL ABYAD, Syria

The US army thwarted an overnight attack on its base in western Syria by shooting down two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), local sources said on Thursday,

The sources added that two children were injured when one of the drones fell on a settlement near the base.

No one claimed responsibility for the plan to attack the US military base in Homs province's al-Tanf region near the Jordanian border.

The US has also not commented on the incident.

One of the drones crashed close to a civilian settlement near the base, injuring two children, the sources said while requesting anonymity.

Drones and unidentified surface-to-surface weapons have been used in recent attacks on US military bases in the al-Tanf region, the Malikiyye district near the Iraqi border, the Shaddadi district in Hasakah province, and the Deir ez-Zor province.

Iran-backed groups occasionally launch rocket and drone attacks on US bases on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

In an Oct. 17 speech, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said if Israel's attacks continue, "resistance forces" will take action.

Following this, drone and rocket attacks on US army bases in Syria and Iraq began. The attacks are being claimed by Iran-backed groups in Syria and Iraq.

The US administration blamed Iran for the attacks, announcing that air strikes were carried out several times on facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliated groups in eastern Syria, the first of which was on Oct. 27, 2023.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan