Two al-Qaeda leaders killed by US Hellfire R9X missile in Syria

A drone strike in northwestern Syria on Sunday evening killed two senior commanders from a group linked with Al-Qaeda, according to a Syrian opposition war-monitoring group.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the attack, on a vehicle in Idlib province, was carried out by a drone belonging to the U.S.-led coalition which fired at least one Hellfire R9X missile.

However, a spokesman for the US-led international coalition battling militants in Syria and Iraq told AFP that the coalition “has not conducted any air strikes in northwestern Syria in recent weeks”.

SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman said a Jordanian military commander and another of Yemeni nationality from the Hurras al-Deen group were killed when a missile fired from a drone hit their car.

Al-Mohrar Media in Syria was quoted by the AP as reporting that one of those killed was the military commander known as Qassam al-Urduni—“Qassam the Jordanian.” The Yemeni was reportedly the commander of the group“s desert army and known as Bilal al-Sanaani.

VIDEO # 4 from the aftermath of the USAF 🇺🇲 airstrike on a vehicle in Idlib. #Syria pic.twitter.com/YotIqQvH2P

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) June 14, 2020

The Hellfire R9X has been nicknamed the “flying ninja” or “flying ginsu” for its fast-swivelling, detachable blades.