In the News
March 22, 2024

Drones have ushered in a brutal new phase of Syria's civil war

'"The increasing use of these drones is likely due to their low prices and high accuracy," Freddy Khoueiry, a global security analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at the risk intelligence company RANE, told Business Insider. "They can hover over their targets before striking, making hits more accurate."

The most widely used type in Syria are first-person view drones, typically quadrotors that cost less than $1,000 and are remotely piloted into a target via a video feed. While small compared to more advanced drones like the infamous Iranian-built Shahed-136 loitering munition Russia has used against Ukraine, these inexpensive drones rigged with explosives are still lethal.

"They're still dangerous, especially in Syria, where both regime and opposition air defenses against these are scarce or ineffective mostly," Khoueiry said.'

Read the full Business Insider article by Paul Iddon here.