Israeli airstrike kills 10 Iran-backed gunmen in Syria - report
A suspected Israeli airstrike in eastern Syria on Monday killed 10 pro-Iran fighters, most of them Iraqis, a war monitor said. The raids against militant positions south of the town of Albu Kamal in Deir Ezzor province took the lives of eight Iraqi and two Syrian combatants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 01:32 | 14 September 2020
- Modified Date: 02:57 | 14 September 2020
A suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria on Monday killed 10 fighters, including eight Iraqis, a Syrian opposition war monitor reported.
Israel rarely comments on such reports, but is believed to have carried out scores of raids targeting Iran's military presence in Syria in recent years.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrike hit an area close the town of Boukamal near the Iraqi border. It added that the strikes also destroyed arms depots and ambulances were seen rushing to the area.
The Observatory said the 10 killed were eight Iraqis and two Syrians. It said the strike is the third this month in Syria's eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq.
The Observatory gave no further details.
Israel views Iran as a regional menace and has vowed to prevent any permanent Iranian military buildup in Syria, particularly near the frontier.
In recent months, Israeli officials have expressed concern that Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that operates in Syria, is trying to establish facilities to produce precision-guided missiles.