Airstrikes target Iran-backed terrorist groups near Syria-Iraq border

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria

Unidentified aircraft carried out airstrikes Monday on three military positions belonging to Iran-backed terrorist groups aligned with the Syrian government in Al-Bukamal district near Syria’s border with Iraq.

The aircraft conducted the strikes in the eastern part of Al-Bukamal, which falls under Deir ez-Zor province, according to information obtained by Anadolu from local sources.

The attacks targeted Iran-backed groups in the regions of Harabesh, Al-Herri and al-Humayda.

In the Harabesh region, a radar station was hit.

Deir ez-Zor, located on the Syria-Iraq border, serves as a key city, providing a land route from Iran to Lebanon. Oil pipelines and trade routes from Iraq and Jordan also pass through the city.

After the withdrawal of Daesh/ISIS in November 2017, Deir ez-Zor city and its western parts came under the control of the Syrian government with the support of Iran-backed groups and Russia.

Iran-backed foreign terrorist groups have a significant presence in Deir ez-Zor, becoming a formidable ground force for the Syrian government.

Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command groups of fighters of Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Afghan and Pakistani origin in Deir ez-Zor, which is home to Sunni Arab communities.

The territory of Deir ez-Zor east of the Euphrates River is under the control of the US-backed terrorist organization PKK/YPG.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul