US blames Iran responsible for attack on At-Tanf base, but does not blame Iran so as not to derail nuclear deal – NYT

The US believes the drone strike on a US military base in southern Syria in October this year was Iran’s response to Israeli airstrikes on Syria. About it informs The New York Times citing sources in the US and Israeli governments.

Five drones loaded with explosives were fired at the American military base At-Tanf in southern Syria on October 20. US Central Command views this as a “deliberate and coordinated” attack. Despite the fact that only two drones exploded on impact, they were loaded with ball bearings and shrapnel, and this was done with “clear intent to kill.”

No one was hurt as a result of the strike, as all base personnel were evacuated following reports of an impending attack from Israeli intelligence.

According to the US authorities, the blow was struck under the leadership of Iran, but the Pentagon spokesman refused to publicly blame Tehran. This is done in part to avoid disrupting negotiations to resume the nuclear deal, which are due to begin on November 29.

Iran itself denies responsibility for the strike. “There were a number of similar incidents when Iran was accused without any evidence,” the publication quotes Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzade.

At the same time, according to the newspaper, the United States and Israel have intelligence that indicates that Iran is behind the operation. Since the three drones did not detonate, the Americans were able to study them and determine that they used the same technology as the drones used by Iranian-backed militants in Iraq.