The United States has denied accusations following reports from Syrian and Iranian state media claiming that US forces conducted dawn air strikes in Syria, resulting in casualties.
Syrian and Iranian state media asserted that US forces carried out bombings in an eastern Syrian region, leading to the death of at least seven soldiers, including a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Additionally, Syrian state media reported civilian casualties, with residential areas and military sites in Deir Ezzor province sustaining significant damage to both public and private properties.
Iranian state media mentioned the death of a Revolutionary Guards adviser in the alleged air strikes, although no specific rank was provided.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, addressing reporters in Washington, refuted these claims, stating, “We did not carry out air strikes in Syria last night.”
Tensions have previously escalated in eastern Syria between Iranian-backed forces and the approximately 900 US troops stationed in the area. On occasion, the United States has responded to such provocations by conducting strikes against targets associated with Iran. Concurrently, Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes targeting Iranian interests in Syria.
Iran maintains that its officers operate in Syria at the invitation of the Damascus government, providing support to President Bashar al-Assad against both internal and external adversaries, including opposition forces, during the prolonged civil war.
According to regional intelligence sources, Israeli jets conducted strikes on two locations within Deir Ezzor city and Al Bukamal, where Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have established outposts.
Iranian militias exert a significant presence in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province near the Iraqi border, where Tehran has expanded its military footprint, as confirmed by Western intelligence sources.
The sources also reported a strike on the town of Mayadeen along the Euphrates River, a key base for numerous Shiite militias, predominantly from Iraq.
Israel, concerned about Iran’s escalating regional influence and military buildup in Syria, has purportedly conducted numerous strikes in an effort to impede Iranian entrenchment. However, the Israeli government has refrained from commenting on Tuesday’s alleged airstrikes.
Over the past year, unmanned Israeli aerial vehicles have targeted Albu Kamal, a border town southeast of Mayadeen, strategically positioned on a supply route utilised by alleged Iranian-backed militias for transferring reinforcements from Iraq into Syria. These militias also control extensive stretches of the border on the Iraqi side.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the purported airstrikes on Tuesday, accusing Washington of adopting tactics reminiscent of Israel’s approach and aiming to destabilise the region.