US President Barack Obama has authorized American intelligence services to conduct surveillance flights over Syria, US, administration officials told the Associated Press.
They said the administration has a need for reliable intelligence from Syria and called the surveillance flights an important avenue for obtaining data. Experts say this is a move that could pave the way for US airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militant targets.
The White House would not comment on Obama’s decision to authorize surveillance flights over Syria. “We’re not going to comment on intelligence or operational issues, but as we’ve been saying, we’ll use all the tools at our disposal,” said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council.
