Syria: Airstrikes kill 15 pro-Iranian militia members in Deir ez-Zor province June 27-28

Event

Unidentified aircraft struck positions in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor province on Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, killing at least 15 Iranian-backed militiamen. On Saturday, strikes occurred in the countryside outside Al-Bukamal city in the village of Al-Abbas. Six fighters were killed in the strikes, four of which were Syrian nationals and the two others were foreigners of unconfirmed nationality. Another strike was reported early (local time) on Sunday in a similar area which killed nine more militiamen. A warehouse was destroyed in the second strike and sources indicate the number of fatalities may rise. Although it has not been confirmed who was responsible for the strikes, war monitoring sources indicate that it was likely conducted by Israeli forces, who carried out a similar attack on pro-Iranian militias in Deir ez-Zor on Tuesday, June 23, killing five fighters.

Further similar attacks are possible in Deir ez-Zor over the near term.

Context

The Israeli military has struck more than 200 targets in Syria over the past two years, many of which have been arms depots and military facilities allegedly receiving arms and fighters from Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Advice

Due to extremely poor security conditions, Western governments generally advise against all travel to Syria, with some banning travel to the country. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to any travel to Syria.