US spy balloon reported shot down in Syria

Damascus, May 16 (Prensa Latina) The US forces illegally present in Syria had to shoot down today a spy and reconnaissance balloon that they had launched from one of their bases deployed in the northeast of this Levantine nation.

May 16, 2024
15:14

Local media reported that the balloon was shot down by U.S. helicopters after suffering a technical failure that caused it to veer off course.

They said that the craft took off from the enclave of Kharab Al-Khir in the municipality of Malikieh, in the province of Hasakeh, about 700 kilometers northeast of the capital.

After the balloon landed in agricultural lands between the villages of Tal Ghazal and Al-Subahiyah, U.S. armored vehicles headed to the site amid intense flights of U.S. helicopters over the area.

They also dispersed against civilians who crowded around the balloon, then dismantled its cameras and destroyed all its dismembered parts before leaving the site.

The Pentagon’s military often uses balloons for espionage activities in the region and to increase security around its bases.

ef/abo/mem/fm