A former U.S. Army sniper has shared a wild story about an alleged secret battle between American special operations troops and reptilian beings near Area 51, adding another bizarre rumor to the long-running lore surrounding the mysterious Nevada military installation.

The story was discussed on the Liberty Risk podcast, co-hosted by Nick Betts, a former Army sniper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Betts claims an unnamed member of the elite Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) told him about the alleged encounter during a night of heavy drinking in Poland.

According to Betts, the military unit was suddenly called away from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and sent on an emergency mission to Area 51. The supposed destination was an underground complex with security systems so advanced that they allegedly made the Pentagon’s most restricted areas look ordinary by comparison.

The story gets even stranger from there. Betts claims the soldiers were ordered to surrender their standard firearms and were issued experimental directed-energy weapons that fired blasts instead of bullets.

The alleged mission began after an underground facility several miles from Area 51 reportedly lost communications. A quick-reaction team was sent to investigate but supposedly vanished, prompting the deployment of the JSOC unit.

According to the secondhand account, around six soldiers entered the underground complex through a long tunnel after arriving by Black Hawk helicopter. Inside, they allegedly came face-to-face with three reptilian-looking creatures carrying weapons similar to their own.

The encounter supposedly turned deadly when one soldier was struck in the chest by an energy blast. Betts’ source claimed the soldier died instantly, while the remaining troops fought back and eliminated all three creatures.

The alleged cover-up is just as dramatic as the supposed battle. Betts claims the fallen soldier was cremated at the site, with the military allegedly explaining the death as a training accident that destroyed the body. The surviving soldiers were supposedly ordered to sign nondisclosure agreements.

Betts also claims another operator connected to the alleged mission reacted violently when he tried to ask about it, grabbing him by the throat and warning him to keep quiet.

The story has all the ingredients of an Area 51 conspiracy thriller: secret tunnels, mysterious creatures, futuristic weapons, and an alleged military cover-up. But for now, it remains a rumor based on Betts’ account of what an unnamed source supposedly told him.

No independent evidence has established that the encounter took place, leaving the reptilian battle firmly in the realm of unverified claims rather than confirmed military history.