“Two Iranian-backed militias of non-Syrian nationalities were confirmed killed, as a result of likely American airstrikes targeting at least one weapons truck on the outskirts of Al-Sayal of Al-Bukamal in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Britain-based war monitor.
At least three other militiamen were injured and the death toll is expected to rise, according to SOHR. The strikes targeted a weapons shipment and a warehouse near al-Bukamal, where pro-Iran groups maintain a significant presence.
The strikes come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with top American ally Israel having intensified its attacks since October 7, carrying out at least 46 strikes on Syrian territory that have killed Iran-affiliated fighters, including top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
American troops and bases in Iraq and Syria have also come under about 140 rocket and drone attacks since mid-October by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups condemning Washington’s support for Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Thursday.
According to SOHR, the US has carried out at least 15 attacks on areas where pro-Iran militias maintain a presence in Deir ez-Zor province since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war. The strikes have killed at least 27 fighters and have incurred heavy material losses.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
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