Damascus says second drone downed in 48 hours over south Syria

• The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesman said the drone did not come from his country and was likely Iranian.
• "Today we see proof... that (Iran's elite Qods Force commander) Qassem Soleimani does whatever he wants in Syria, and of course does not tell" the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

DAMASCUS: A drone was shot down on Saturday in Quneitra province in southern Syria, the second such incident in 48 hours, state media said.

Authorities "dismantled a drone" after it was shot down on the edge of Jabal al-Sheikh in the Quneitra countryside, southwest of Damascus, state news agency SANA reported.

The drone was loaded with bombs and C4 explosive, it said.

The origin of the drone was not specified, though SANA reported it "came from the west".

The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesman said the drone did not come from his country and was likely Iranian.

"What is certain is that it is not an (Israeli army) drone," Avichay Adraee said on Twitter.

"Today we see proof... that (Iran's elite Qods Force commander) Qassem Soleimani does whatever he wants in Syria, and of course does not tell" the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

On Thursday, another drone was downed by Syrian anti-aircraft defences over the village of Aqraba, south of Damascus, SANA reported, also without specifying the origin of the drone.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the downing of the drone on Saturday but was unable to confirm if it was hit by forces of the Syrian regime, or its ally.