Syrian army opens fire on US spy plane

Syrian anti-aircraft artillery opened fire on a US spy drone that appeared over a special forces base.

Syrian army anti-aircraft artillery opens fire. Photo: Al Masdar News.

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) yesterday used anti-aircraft artillery to shoot down a US unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the sky above the 54th Independent Special Forces Brigade base in Al-Qamishli city, Al Masdar NewsSAA sources said.

The 54th Independent Special Forces Brigade is not equipped with modern air defense systems, only a few manually operated anti-aircraft artillery platforms, so it was unable to shoot down the US UAV. The Syrian military said the spy plane left the area shortly after.

Al-Qamishli city in northeastern Syria. Photo: Google Earth.

Russian military experts say that the SAA’s proactive attack on a US UAV spying on its military base is unprecedented. They also predict that similar incidents may occur more often, after Russia announced on April 7 that it was suspending the memorandum of understanding signed with the US on preventing air clashes and ensuring flight safety in Syria.

The shooting came after the US launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian military base in Homs province to "punish" what the US said was the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons against civilians.

According to VNE