The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 12 pro-Iran fighters were killed overnight from Saturday to Sunday in airstrikes conducted by unidentified aircraft in eastern Syria.
The Observatory stated that the five airstrikes also caused numerous injuries and targeted locations in and around the city of Deir ez-Zor, as well as the nearby Al-Bukamal area close to the Iraq border.
No party immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. Deir ez-Zor regularly experiences Israeli and occasionally American airstrikes, and Iran exerts significant influence in the region, according to the human rights monitor.
The strikes particularly targeted military sites near Deir ez-Zor’s airport.
Since the beginning of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes, particularly targeting factions loyal to Iran. The United States has also targeted these factions in eastern Syria.
Israeli authorities rarely comment on such strikes but have repeatedly stated their intention to prevent Iran from entrenching its presence in Syria.
The region has seen a recent escalation in tensions following a heavy bombing campaign by the Israeli military against Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.
According to the SOHR, the Israeli military has frequently targeted Hezbollah’s weapon supply routes along the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The Israeli military announced on Saturday the elimination of a Hamas leader in southern Syria. Avichai Adraee, the spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces, stated in a message via the platform X that Israeli warplanes targeted and killed Ahmad Muhammad Fahd, the commander of Hamas’s terrorist network in the region, based on precise intelligence from the Northern Command and intelligence agency.
Military operations by Israel in the Gaza Strip have been ongoing since October 7, 2023, when Hamas initiated “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” firing thousands of rockets into Israel and infiltrating nearby Israeli towns, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis, mostly settlers, and the capture of around 250 others.
