A drone strike hit a compound run by US troops and US-backed Syrian opponents in eastern Syria, the US military said on Monday. The attack caused no casualties or damage.
The incident occurred near the Al-Tanf base, near the point where the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq meet. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
US and coalition troops are stationed at the base to train Syrian forces on patrol to deal with Islamic State militants. The base is also on a road that serves as a crucial connection for Iranian-backed forces, leading from Tehran and into Lebanon.
Coalition troops coordinated with opposition fighters known as Maghaweir al-Thowra “responded to an attack by several unmanned aerial systems in the vicinity of Al-Tanf Garrison” on Monday morning, according to the military statement.
The troops managed to avoid the impact of one of the drones and another exploded inside the compound of the opposing forces, “resulting in zero reported casualties or damage.” The other drone strike attempts were unsuccessful, the statement added.
Maj. Gen. John Brennan, commander of the Combined Joint Force, condemned the drone attack. “These attacks endanger the lives of innocent Syrian civilians and undermine the significant efforts of our Allied Forces to maintain the lasting defeat of ISIS,” he said, using an acronym for the IS group.
The attack came hours after several Israeli air strikes in western and central Syria that killed three soldiers, wounded three others and caused property damage.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group monitoring the war, said Israeli strikes had hit Syrian army positions containing Iranian-backed fighters.
Drone strikes against Al-Tanf are not common.
In October last year, authorities said they believed Iran was behind a drone attack on the base that month. On that occasion they said they believed that up to five drones loaded with explosives had participated in the attacks. The devices hit both the US side of the garrison and the side where Syrian opposition forces are staying.
The October attack came a few days after an airstrike in central Syria.