Local news media reported that a US spy balloon crashed in northeast Syria near Rmelan, which was also close to a US facility.
On May 15, a large US military surveillance aerostat crashed close to the town of Rmelan in the northeastern Al-Hasakah region of Syria.
Social media footage showed the aerostat falling out of the sky and then landing in pieces near Rmelan, which was also close to a US facility. There are rumors that US fighter jets were spotted over the area when the event was going on.
In an apparent effort to confront ISIS remnants, the US maintains multiple illegal sites in Syria, including the one in Rmelan. These bases are mostly located in the northeastern provinces of Al-Hasakah and Deir Ezzor, as well as the southeast province of Al-Tanf.
Some local sources claim that a technical issue caused the spy balloon to crash, while others claim that unknown assailants shot down the aerostat. Pentagon statements are still pending.
Aerostats were first brought to US sites in Syria many years ago, however, they were much smaller than the one that went down close to Rmelan. This aerostat was a big piece of equipment, and its size suggests that it carried sophisticated surveillance gear, possibly even aerial radar systems.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese resistance organization, conducted several operations against Israel the day before, including bringing down an Israeli surveillance balloon in the southern region of Lebanon and demolishing the launching base and control center used for the operation.
Since October 8th, Hezbollah has been attacking Israeli military installations daily to show support for the Palestinian resistance and solidarity with Gaza. It has promised to keep going until the conflict in Gaza is resolved.
Last year, GreatGameIndia reported that two current senior officials and one former senior administration official stated that a Chinese spy balloon collected intelligence from sensitive U.S. military locations, despite efforts by the U.S. to prevent this.
