(Photo credit: Iranian Armed Forces)
Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported on 2 March that the US is offering financial rewards to anybody who is able to provide the locations of Iranian-made missiles and drones in the Homs desert in central Syria, which is geographically linked to the ’55-kilometer-area’ where Washington’s Al-Tanf occupation base is located.
“[We] are looking for drones and missiles of all kinds, as such equipment falls into the hands of those who want to harm you,” US military leaflets are cited as saying by Al-Akhbar.
In recent months, US occupation bases in Syria have come under increased attacks, attacks which are attributed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Sources told Al-Akhbar that Washington has recently installed ‘new and advanced’ systems and equipment across its bases in Syria in order to better deal with drone incursions and attacks. However, as a result of these systems being breached, particularly at the Al-Tanf base, the US military has been left “confused” and is resorting to “buying” information that could help it “gain access” to Iranian drones.
On 14 February, US forces shot down an Iranian drone over their base near the Conoco gas field in northeast Syria after it reportedly carried out an ‘hours-long’ reconnaissance mission over it.
A week later, three suicide drones attacked the Al-Tanf base, causing some material damage and injuring two of the extremist militants who are known to be trained inside the US military facility.
Regarding Al-Tanf, “[US forces] are preparing for stronger attacks on this base,” Al-Akhbar’s sources added.
In addition to training extremist militants inside the base, US forces have been accused of providing logistical support to ISIS militants in the vicinity of Al-Tanf.
Last month, ISIS militants carried out two brutal attacks against civilians in the Homs desert, killing dozens of people.
US bases in Syria have witnessed a dramatic surge in drone and missile attacks in recent months, given that Washington has expressed no intention to end its illegal occupation of the country.