U.S. Military Surveillance Blimp Reportedly Shot Down Over Northeastern Syria (Videos
A large surveillance aerostat of the United States military crashed on May 15 near the town of Rimelan in the northeastern countryside of Syria’s al-Hasakah.
Videos posted to social networks showed the aerostat falling from the sky and later its wreckage on the ground near Rimelan, where the U.S. maintains a base. American fighter jets were reportedly spotted flying over the area at the time of the incident.
The base in Rimelan is one of several military installations the U.S. maintains in Syria, mainly in the northeastern governorates of al-Hasakah and Deir Ezzor as well as in the southeastern area of al-Tanf, under the pretext of fighting ISIS remnants. At least 900 troops are deployed there.
Some Syrian activists said that the aerostat crashed as a result of a malfunction, while others alleged that it was in fact shot down. The Pentagon is yet to clarify what happened.
#سقوط_منطاد_حراري
تابع للتحالف الدولي في سوريا. pic.twitter.com/PqiTYo74MQ— Salehyounes (@Salehyo77483616) May 15, 2024
The US jets fly over the area as the next video shows
مراسل تلفزيون الأخبار التابع لنظام الأسد في #الحسكة :
-فصائل شعبية تستهدف منطاد تابع "للجيش الأمريكي" يستخدم لأغراض التجسس في سماء بلدة #رميلان بريف المالكية،
إسقاط المنطاد تلاه تحليق للطيران الأمريكي في سماء المنطقة. pic.twitter.com/M0zDY5Xfrz— Ayman Abdel Nour (@aabnour) May 15, 2024
The U.S. first deployed aerostats in its bases in Syria years ago. However, they were much smaller in size than the one that crashed near Rimelan.
The large size of the aerostat suggests that it was equipped with advanced surveillance systems, very possibly an aerial radar.