June 16, 2017
The Islamic Republic’s allies boasted last week that a drone flying over Syria had flown above an American drone and could have shot it down if it chose. The next day the United States shot down an Iranian drone after it bombed Arab troops supported by the US in Syria.
Al-Manar, a TV station in Lebanon operated by the Hezb-ollah, showed video footage last Wednesday that it said was taken by an Iranian-operated drone.
The drone seen in the video looked alike an American Predator drone.
The narration in the video was in Farsi, according to Military Times, an American publication. It said, “This is an American drone. We could shoot you down anytime, but we take pity on you.” Al-Manar said the video was taken near At-Tanf in southern Syria where US troops are stationed with Arab forces opposing Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.
The next day, the Pentagon issued a statement saying it had shot down a large drone after the drone dropped a bomb on coalition forces operating near At-Tanf. It didn’t name the drone, but said it was similar in size to the Predator. Iran operates what it calls the Shahed-129, which is copied from the Predator.
The Pentagon said the bomb dropped by the drone was a dud and did not explode, but that US forces shot the drone down because it was carrying several other munitions.
The Washington Examiner asked Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis if the drone shot down was Iranian. He said, “I don’t think we’re ready to call it that, but at the very least it’s evidence of Iran’s influence there.”
He added, “We’re not looking to start a fight with anybody else, other than ISIS. But we acted in self-defense and, if it happens again, we’ll act again.”
Earlier in the week, US aircraft bombed an Iranian-led militia group that drove into an area near At-Tanf that the United States had announced as a 55-kilometer diameter no-go zone where the Americans would attack any forces that entered. There was no word on whether the force that was bombed included any Iranians. Iran has maintained silence on the attack.
The Pentagon said a force of about 60 fighters with tanks entered the zone. The Americans dropped warning leaflets on those troops and used its communications link with the Russians to ask Russia to help convince the troops to withdraw. They did not, and American planes bombed them.
