Syria claims to shoot down US reconnaissance aircraft

DAMASCUS — Syrian state media said the country's air defences shot down a US reconnaissance aircraft Tuesday in a northwestern province along the Mediterranean coast.

US officials said they were looking into the reports.

The SANA state news agency said the aircraft was downed north of the coastal city of Latakia. It provided no further details. State television broadcast footage of what it said was the wreckage, including a wheel and electronic parts. Soldiers in camouflage could be seen loading some of the debris into the back of a truck.

If confirmed, it would be the first American aircraft to go down over Syria since the US expanded its aerial campaign against the Daesh extremist group to the country in September.