Russia and Iran are attacking U.S.-backed Syrian rebels with "suicide drones," which hit their targets and explode on impact, The Washington Times reports.

Six remote-controlled drones killed and wounded fighters for Ahrar al-Sham near the western Syrian city of Ma’ara al-Nuiman. The group is linked to al-Qaida, but is seen by Western nations as the best hope for negotiating a government if President Basher Assad is ousted.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) the drones may have been sent from a Russian-controlled airbase near Lattakia, though others say they came from areas controlled by Iran and its ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah.

The drones landed and exploded "like a booby trap," an Ahrar al-Sham commander was quoted by the the Syrian Smart News agency as saying.

Iran last year bragged it had such drones with with it could attack U.S. Navy ships, the Times reported.

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