Explosives-filled suicide drones believed to be of Russian or Iranian origin were reportedly unleashed to strike US-backed rebels near a western Syrian city, causing damage to rebel-held neighbourhoods and the targeted location.
Six remote-controlled drones killed and wounded fighters belonging to the Ahrar al-Sham group near the western Syrian city of Ma'ara al-Nuiman. The group is linked to al-Qaeda but is seen by Western nations as the best hope for negotiating a government if President Basher Assad is ousted, The Washington Times reported, citing the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) as source.
"The drones may have been sent from a Russian-controlled airbase near Lattakia although others say they came from areas controlled by Iran and its ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah,'' the report said.
AP also reported on Thursday that a Russian-owned broadcasting company is flying drones over the capital Damascus while Syria's Mubasher news agency was quoted as saying that the drones were launched from Shiite-controlled areas possibly Iran or Lebanon.
"The drones landed and then exploded like booby traps,'' the Syrian Smart News agency said quoting an Ahrar Al-Sham commander.
Last year Iran threatened to launch its kamikaze drones against US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, noting that the weapon is relatively low-cost, according to the Times.
In 2014, Iran reportedly carried out tests of "suicide" drones intended to explode upon hitting their targets. At least 10 drone models were posted in an Iranian website, indicating that they were suitable for suicide missions while other models could be modified for the same purpose, said the MEMRI report.
Western experts meanwhile believe that the use of suicide drones by Russia and Iran, which are largely directed at rebel groups and not at the Islamic State (ISIS) forces, will provide a boost to Assad's hold on power.
While trying to defeat ISIS, the Western-led coalition has also been calling for an end to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have used chemical weapons on its own people. The administration is also responsible for the displacement of the more than 200,000 Syrians many of whom are now seeking asylum in Western countries.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the West of playing a "double game'' with terrorist groups in Syria where a US-led coalition is conducting a bombing campaign.
"It's always difficult to play a double game: declaring a fight against terrorists while simultaneously trying to use some of them to arrange the pieces on the Middle east chess board in one's own interests,'' Putin told a group of political scientists, according to the Times.
