U.K.-based NGO claims that the Assad regime is beefing up its military presence in the region after the downing of an armed drone the Israel Defense Forces say was likely Iranian.
(September 22, 2019 / JNS) The Syrian military has sent reinforcements to the Israeli border, according to a report by the U.K.-based NGO Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Saturday.
The report did not cite reasons for the move, but came just hours after Syrian state media reported the downing of an explosives-lade drone in the Mount Hermon region.
Tanks, vehicles, troops, ammunition and arms were sent to the towns of Jamlah and Aabdyn near the Syria-Israel border, according to SOHR, which claimed earlier this month that Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist group Hezbollah is attempting to wrest control of the Quneitra area from anti-Assad rebels.
The human-rights group reported a “continuous state of lawlessness” in the area, which has suffered multiple attacks on pro-Iranian and pro-Syrian regime officials and media in recent months.Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories
On Saturday, Syrian state media reported the downing of an explosives-laden drone in the Quneitra area, a few miles from the Israeli border.
While Syrian authorities insinuated that the drone came from Israel, Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed that the aircraft belonged to Iran, noting that it had come down in the same place from which Iranian-backed forces attempted to launch a drone into Israel in August.
“What is certain is that this is not an IDF drone,” wrote Adraee on Twitter.
Russian aviation site Avia.pro also reported that the downed drone was Israeli, and claimed that it was believed to have been neutralized by Russian forces.
According to Syrian media, Syrian military officials reported that cluster bombs and C4 explosive were affixed to the drone, which was set to detonate if someone tried to dismantle it