An Iraqi fighter from an Iran-backed group was killed in an overnight airstrike in eastern Syria near the Iraq border, according to the group and a war monitor. The strike occurred in Deir Ezzor province, a region where Iran wields significant influence and which is regularly targeted by Israel and the United States.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, reported that the strike took place in the Albukamal countryside, just a few kilometers from the Syrian-Iraqi border. They stated that an explosion was heard coinciding with the strike. The Observatory identified the victim as an Iraqi member of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups. Two others were reportedly injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s Sayyed al-Shuhada Brigades confirmed the death of a fighter in a strike on Friday, blaming the United States for the attack. They alleged that the strike targeted his vehicle during a reconnaissance patrol on the Iraqi-Syrian border.
However, a spokesperson for the US-led military coalition, formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, denied involvement in the attack. They stated that neither the coalition nor US forces carried out overnight strikes in Deir Ezzor.
The Observatory reported that drones were seen flying over the area several hours before the strike. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes primarily targeting pro-Iran groups, which they rarely publicly acknowledge. In late March, sixteen Tehran-affiliated fighters, including an Iranian military advisor, were killed in strikes on eastern Syria. The strikes also claimed the life of a civilian working for the World Health Organisation.
Iran has been a steadfast ally of the Syrian government, particularly providing military advisors. This incident further highlights the escalating tensions between Iran and its allies in the region and the United States and Israel. The ongoing conflict in Syria has become a proxy battleground for these regional powers, with airstrikes and targeted killings becoming increasingly common.
