ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital of Damascus early on Sunday, coming from weapons depots belonging to pro-Iranian militia, a war monitor reported.
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which relies on sources in Syria, reported that blasts were heard from “the warehouses of pro-Iran militias” in mountainous areas near Damascus.
The monitor said it was unclear whether the blasts were caused by an airstrike or ground attack.
The blasts come amid an escalation of attacks involving foreign actors in Syria.
Last week, four Syrian soldiers and two pro-Iran fighters were killed in an Israeli strike near Damascus. Israel is believed to have carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria, targeting Iranian-backed militia and Hezbollah fighters, over the past decade.
While it rarely claims responsibility for strikes on Syria, Israel has repeatedly warned that it will not allow archrival Iran to expand its base in the country.
The war monitor on Saturday reported that two missiles were fired towards a US-led coalition base in the Koniko gas field in Deir ez-Zor, adding that they were launched from areas under the control of Iran-backed militia. This comes after reports of coalition warplanes flying at low altitudes above the areas where pro-Iran militia are stationed.
There has been no comment by the US-led coalition regarding the reported attack on the base.
Tit-for-tat attacks between the US and Iran playing out in Iraq and Syria have decreased over the past year.
Hundreds of US troops stationed in Syria are part of an international coalition that has fought alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIS. The jihadist group on Thursday claimed responsibility for an attack in Deir ez-Zor killing at least 33 Syrian soldiers, marking the deadliest such attack this year.
The Syrian foreign ministry accused the US for the attack. "The American occupation forces and their terrorist organizations,” Syria’s state –run SANA cited the ministry as saying in a statement.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani also made similar remarks blaming the US.
