US drone downed over 'IS-free area'

Syria's military downed a US drone over the coastal province of Latakia because it was snooping in an area where Islamic State jihadists are not present, a military source said on Wednesday.

"As soon as it entered Syrian airspace, we considered it to be gathering security and military information on Syria's territory," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said the aircraft was not immediately identified as being American, but it was "dealt with as a hostile target".