On February 25, 2024, a Syrian pro-opposition Euphrates Eye media outlet reported that "Iranian militias" were about to test their first "suicide drone" manufactured in Al-Bukamal, in Syria's Deir Al-Zour governorate.
On February 26, Euphrates Eye reported that according to "exclusive sources," Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has begun to manufacture suicide drones in Al-Bukamal, under the supervision of Hajj 'Askar, general commander of Iran-backed militias in the city.
According to the sources, in recent days Iran-backed militias have brought in Iranian experts in electronic engineering with the purpose of manufacturing drone engines. The manufacture has taken place in several areas in the city, including the industry area and near the electricity company roundabout. The cost of the manufacture is less than $100 per drone. The sources added that the manufacture was nearing completion, and the drones would be tested in the following days in the desert south of Al-Bukamal.
On February 27, a news website which covers the Deir Al-Zour region in northeastern Syria reported that according to an "exclusive source," Iran's IRGC has begun to train "local operatives" on the use of drones in Al-Mayadin, southeast of Deir Al-Zour.
According to the source, the training began a day earlier near the 'Ayn 'Ali shrine in the desert of Al-Qouriyah, southeast of Deir Al-Zour. The training is overseen by a Lebanese IRGC commander known as "Hajj Hasan," who arrived in Al-Mayadin for the task. The training includes 20 local operatives who "proved their loyalty to Iran" and are prepared to carry out drone attacks against bases of the U.S.-led Global Coalition east of the Euphrates in the Deir Al-Zour governorate. The website mentions that Iran-backed militias have launched multiple drone attacks against bases of the Global Coalition in northeastern Syria since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, finding drones more effective than rockets for such attacks.
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