Under the title "Alert in Western Euphrates: Iranian Militias Restructure," Al Arabiya reported that following American strikes targeting them on Sunday night and Monday, Iranian-affiliated militias began to reorganize their forces in Eastern Syria, between the areas of Mayadin and Boukamal, amid a significant alert in the "Western Euphrates" region. Local sources from Western Euphrates stated that the militias have redeployed again in the city of Mayadin, east of Deir Ezzor, and in the surrounding agricultural areas and towns such as Al-Qouriyeh, Mahkan, Al-Ashara, Al-Salihiya, Al-Abbas, Al-Sayal, and Al-Jalaa, amid heightened alertness fearing new strikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday.
These groups had repositioned themselves in Mayadin after shelling the Al-Omar oil field and withdrew from the areas they had targeted south of Mayadin, reestablishing their presence in residential neighborhoods within the city. Local activists also noted military reinforcements from the Syrian Democratic Forces along the Euphrates River after the withdrawal of “self-defense” units from the region.
**Targeting Al-Omar Field**
It is noted that Iran-affiliated factions launched artillery shells on a U.S. military base at the Al-Omar oil field in Deir Ezzor province on Monday evening, without resulting in casualties, according to various sources reported to AFP. In response, the international coalition targeted the Mayadin areas controlled by the militias with "heavy artillery" in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. This bombardment followed U.S. airstrikes on Iranian militias at the Syria-Iraq border on Sunday night, which was a response to recent attacks targeting its interests in Iraq attributed to militias linked to Iran. The U.S. strikes targeted operational facilities and weapon storage sites in two locations in Syria, in addition to one site in Iraq.
It is noteworthy that Iranian-affiliated groups, primarily factions within the Popular Mobilization Forces, have military influence in the border area between Syria and Iraq, and are positioned on the western bank of the Euphrates River in the border province of Deir Ezzor. Trucks carrying weapons and ammunition or warehouses in the area are often subjected to strikes attributed to Israel.
