Airstrikes hit eastern Syria along the Iraqi border, hitting Iranian-backed fighters and causing casualties, a Syrian war monitor said, Iranian state TV and Iraqi paramilitary officers said. The number of casualties has not been confirmed, but some of those killed in the attack late Tuesday were Iranian nationals, according to two Iraqi paramilitaries. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 14 people were killed in the raids, mostly militants. The strikes hit a convoy of “fuel tankers and trucks loaded with weapons” for the militants in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, the Syrian Observatory said. It is not yet clear who was behind the raid, but the United States military has carried out similar attacks in the past. However, the US military has so far denied involvement. Army Maj. Rachael L Jeffcoat said “no US force or US-led coalition (member) conducted an airstrike in al-Qaim, Iraq, on the border with Syria.” The convoy of 22 tankers was traveling from Iran to Lebanon, an Iraqi border guard official said. Ten trucks were hit, four of which were “burnt to the ground”, after entering Syrian territory through the Al-Qaim – Abu Kamal border crossing. Deir Ezzor 24, an activist group, reported three airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed militias in the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal and nearby areas. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Earlier, members of Iraqi paramilitary groups operating in the region said an airstrike on a convoy carrying fuel across the Iraqi border into Syria killed at least 10 people late Tuesday. Iran’s state-run Press TV claimed the convoy was carrying Iranian oil to Lebanon via Syria, but gave no details of casualties. He also claimed that the convoy was attacked by US drones and helicopters, adding that the attack took place after eight of the trucks had crossed into Syria. Pro-Iranian fighters have a large presence around the Iraq-Syria border. Iran is a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sending thousands of fighters to aid Syrian government troops in the country’s 11-year war against the country’s opposition. In August, the US military carried out airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor targeting Iranian-backed militants after a rocket attack left several US soldiers with minor injuries. At least two fighters described by US Central Command as “suspected Iranian-backed fighters” were killed. The Pentagon said the strikes were a message to Iran.
