Syria’s military said a large-scale drone attack targeted its bases near the border with Iraq on Monday, the biggest such incident since the start of the Middle East war.
The army reported “a large-scale attack by a number of drones targeting several army bases near the Iraqi border at dawn today”, adding that most of the drones were intercepted.
“We are studying our options and will respond appropriately to neutralise any threat and prevent any aggression against Syrian territory.”
On Sunday, assistant defence minister for eastern Syria, Sipan Hamo, said four drones from Iraq attacked a US base in Syria’s Qasrak, but were intercepted.
It was not immediately clear who had launched the attack. One possibility was that pro-Iran groups in Iraq were behind it.
“We hold Iraq responsible and call upon it to prevent the recurrence of attacks that threaten our stability,” Hamo said.
A day prior, Syria’s army said it repelled another drone attack from Iraq targeting Al-Tanf, a base which used to house US forces.
Another base in northeastern Syria was targeted last week. An Iraqi official said an Iraqi faction was behind the attack, and four people were arrested in connection with it.
In recent months in Syria, American forces have withdrawn from the Al-Tanf base, as well as Shadadi in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, and had begun withdrawing from the Qasrak base, also in Hasakeh.
Since the outbreak of the Middle East war, which began with a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he is working to keep his country out of any conflict.
Iraq was pulled into the war, with pro-Iran Iraqi groups having claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region.
