Illustrative image. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)
On August 20, Syrian troops intercepted a convoy of the United States-led coalition in the northeastern governorate of al-Hasakah.
The coalition convoy, which was made up of four armored vehicles and covered by two attack helicopters, was stopped at a checkpoint of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near the town of Tell al-Dahab in the northern al-Hasakah countryside, the Syrian state television reported, adding that the convoy was eventually forced to retreat.
Most of al-Hasakah is held by the U.S.-led coalition and its proxy, the Syrian Democratic Forces. However, the SAA still controls a portion of the city center as well as several districts in the town of al-Qamhishly and a nearby airport in the northern countryside of the governorate. The army also maintains a network of posts and checkpoints across the northern countryside.
The SAA and government supporters have been restricting the movements of the coalition in the northern al-Hasakah countryside for the last few years.
The last standoff near Tell al-Dahab came amid high tensions between the SAA and the U.S.-led coalition in northeastern Syria.
Several recent reports talked about U.S. plans to launch a military operation against the SAA and its allies in the governorate of Deir Ezzor in order to cut them off from the border line with Iraq. The Pentagon denied the presence of such plans earlier this week despite a clear military build up by the coalition and its proxies in the region.