The Russian-language Vestnik Mordovieh daily quoted military experts as saying that the Syrian air defense units intercepted and targeted a Predator reconnaissance drone of the US over the coastal province of Lattakia.

Based on the paper, the drone that violated Syria's airspace was, MQ-1 Predator, an American remotely piloted aircraft built by General Atomics.

The US army officials have also confirmed that they have lost connection with the drone, the paper added.

Meantime, the Turkish media reported that the US drone took off from Turkey's Incirlik airbase.

The paper added that the US spying drone was downed by the Russian-made Pechora 2 Surface-to-Air Missile systems, adding that parts of the downed US drone are scattered all over the region.

Media sources disclosed in January that a US Navy reconnaissance plane was spotted flying a few kilometers away from Russia's naval base in Tartus port in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Interfax quoted western sites as saying that a P-8A Poseidon aircraft flew close to Syria’s Mediterranean coast where Russia’s naval task force operates in Tartus.

The anti-submarine US P-8A Poseidon spy plane left a US airbase in Sicily and carried out a reconnaissance mission over the Russian naval base and its adjacent marine zone in Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Interfax added.

Observers believe that the US spy planes have recently increased their flights over Syria to gather intelligence on the Syrian army and the Russian forces' moves in the region.

According to reports, on August 30, September 2, September 17 and in November the United States' P-8A Poseidon spy planes were also spotted flying toward the vicinity of the Russian air base.

SOURCE: Fars news agency