8 killed in strike on Iranian militias on Iraq-Syria border, media blame Israel
By ROSSELLA TERCATINAerial view of intense construction at Iran's Albukamal-Al-Qaim crossing(photo credit: IMAGESAT INTERNATIONAL (ISI))
Eight people were reportedly killed in airstrikes against Iranian militias along the border between Syrian and Iraq, according to Ynet that quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Trucks and militants were targeted in the airstrikes on Thursday night, according to the Beirut-based TV station Al Mayadeen. Violent explosions were heard in the area and "enemy planes" were seen above the city Al-Bukamal shortly before, according to the report.Local news source DeirEzzor24 stated that target of the bombing is believed to have been a weapons shipment to Hezbollah in the border area.Several Arab media outlets, including Al Mayadeen, blamed Israel for the airstrikes.According to Ynet, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organization which opposes the regime of Bashar Al-Assad and his allies in Iran and the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah, reported that non-identified fighter jets struck warehouses and equipment belonging to pro-Iranian militias.Its report added that according to their sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed Assad that the United States intended to close the land-route between Tehran and Beirut, which goes through Al Bukamal.In November, the Al-Bukamal border crossing between Iraq and Syria reopened five years after being seized by the Islamic State, raising concerns that it could be a hub for Iran to expedite the transfer of weapons to groups like Hezbollah.Two months earlier, Fox News stated that Iran was constructing a new military compound and weapon storehouses, in a report based on analysis from ImageSat International.Explosions were also heard in "areas controlled by Iranian militias" near Al-ukamal in eastern Syria near the Iraq-Syria border earlier this week, according to local news source Deir Ezzor 24. The explosions were believed to have been caused by rockets, although some reports indicated that an airstrike had targeted the area.Militias along the Iraq-Syria border have been on high alert since the US operation that killed IRGC's Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani last week.
