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Strikes by Unidentified Aircraft Kill 15 Pro-Iran Fighters in Eastern Syria

At least 15 pro-Iran fighters were killed and approximately 20 others injured in airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed militia positions in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zur province on Sunday. The strikes, carried out by unidentified warplanes, hit several key locations near the Syrian-Iraqi border, including weapons depots belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the villages of Al-Heri, Al-Hizam, and Al-Suwaiiyah. The strikes also hit Iranian military headquarters in Deir ez-Zur city, including the Hrabesh neighborhood.

These attacks come against the backdrop of escalating regional tensions following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli airstrikes in Beirut two days earlier. Both Israel and the US frequently conduct strikes in Syria, targeting Iranian and Hezbollah positions, but the origin of the latest airstrikes remains unconfirmed. US bases in the region, including the Koniko gas field, have come under repeated drone attacks from Iran-backed groups, which have prompted retaliatory US airstrikes.

In the aftermath of the airstrikes, clashes erupted between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Iranian-backed groups along the banks of the Euphrates River, further intensifying the conflict in the region. Helicopters from the US-led international coalition were seen patrolling the skies over the Koniko gas field area following the attack, signaling a potential escalation.