Unidentified planes struck targets in Syria near the border with Iraq on Friday, reports said. The attack triggered “a huge explosion” amid soaring tensions in the region between the U.S. and Iran. Apparently, the war against Iraqi Militias Iran funds continues.
TARGETING WEAPONS DEPOT
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the planes targeted positions belonging to pro-Iran militias in the Boukamal area, near the border with Iraq. It said the planes struck among other targets weapons depots and vehicles belonging to the militias.
It reported several explosions in the border area.
Another activist website Deir Ezzor 24 said that the planes strikes struck trucks carrying weapons and depots for ballistic missiles.
There was no immediate comment from Syria or Iraq.
The U.S. carried out military strikes in the area on Dec. 29, killing 25 members of an Iran-backed Iraqi militia in retaliation to a rocket attack on a military base in Iraq that killed a U.S. contractor. The U.S. blamed that attack on the Iranian-backed Iraqi militia.
Israel has also struck Iran-backed militias in the area in the past.
TARGETING TERRORISTS
The reported airstrikes came days after a U.S. drone strike killed Iran’s top terrorist. His death changes dramatically the dynamics. One described him as the real dictator of Syria and that Assad was his mayor.
Iran responded by firing a barrage of missiles at military bases in Iraq that host U.S. troops. Since then, both sides have signaled they were stepping back from further escalation. Tensions remain high though.
Amid the soaring tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Syria this week. Russia has been a key ally for Assad. It remains instrumental in killing Syrian civilians. It bombs civilians in hospitals, markets, and schools.
The area struck Friday is key to a land corridor for Tehran that links Iran across Iraq and Syria through Lebanon. The Observatory report on Friday claimed that Putin had informed Assad during the visit of a U.S. intention to “close” the land corridor for good.
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