General view of the city of Qamishli during a dust storm, in northeastern Syria, March 15, 2026. (Credit: Orhan Qereman/Reuters)
The Syrian army said Saturday it had repelled a drone attack launched from Iraq targeting a military base in the south of the country that was recently vacated by U.S.-led coalition forces, according to state media.
Army units “repelled a drone attack targeting the Al-Tanf military base in the south of the country,” the army said, as cited by the state news agency SANA. “The drones were launched from Iraq,” it added.
Iraq, which has sought to balance ties with both Washington and Tehran, has been drawn into the regional war triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq and elsewhere in the region, and have also been targeted by U.S. strikes.
On Tuesday, the Syrian army said one of its bases in the northeast, also recently vacated by U.S. troops, had been hit by missile fire from Iraq. An Iraqi security official blamed a pro-Iran armed faction for the attack.
U.S.-led coalition forces have withdrawn in recent months from the Al-Tanf and Shadadi military bases and have begun pulling out of the Qasrak base in Hasakah province.
