Officials reported on Thursday that a drone was shot down by a British warplane that is part of a US-led coalition near a facility where US forces are stationed in southern Syria this week.
The Tanf base, which houses a limited number of US personnel, is located in a strategic region near Syria's Tanf border crossing with Iraq and Jordan.
Outside of the Kurdish-controlled north, Tanf is the only place in Syria with a large US military presence.
A Typhoon warplane shot down a "small hostile drone" that was posing a threat to coalition forces, according to the British defence ministry. It was the first air-to-air engagement for a Royal Air Force Typhoon, according to the report.
Two drones entered the Tanf garrison's "deconfliction" zone on Tuesday, according to US Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Bill Urban, and one was shot down as it approached the post. He said there were no casualties or damage to facilities.
It was unclear who owned the drone at the time.
In the past, Iranian-backed forces used drones and missiles to strike US troops in eastern Syria and Iraq.
A number of drones were launched against the base in October, but no Americans were killed.
According to US authorities, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria may intensify attacks on US soldiers in the coming weeks, in part to commemorate the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
On January 2, 2020, the two were slain in Iraq by a US drone attack
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