The Iran-US Drone War in Syria Could Quickly Spin Out of Control | The Nation
Tensions between the United States and Iran
have heated up in recent weeks, as the two tangle over the shape of
postwar Syria and Iraq. The United States is attempting to block Iran
from overland access to Syria, and the ayatollahs are pushing back with
sophisticated drones. The United States has shot down two large, armed,
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the past two weeks, which were
targeting US troops and their proxies. A week ago, Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson explicitly called in an open session of Congress for
regime change in Iran. At the same time, Washington depends on
pro-Iranian militias in Iraq in its final push against the so-called
Islamic State (aka ISIL, ISIS, Daesh) group there. The apparent US
ambition of controlling the 372-mile Syrian-Iraqi border is implausible,
and the attempt will prolong the bloody Syrian civil war.
In a photo released on June 19, a missile is fired from western Iran targeting the Islamic State in Syria. (IRIB News Agency, Morteza Fakhrinejad via AP)
