A U.S. intelligence official confirmed that the recent Israeli strikes in eastern Syria were carried out based on intelligence data provided by the United States.
The Associated Press reported that a high-ranking U.S. intelligence official revealed to the agency that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the airstrikes that targeted Deir Ezzor governorate with Israeli Mossad chief Yossi Cohen during a meeting at Café Milano in Washington last Monday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated that the strikes targeted a series of warehouses used to store Iranian weapons and components intended to support Tehran's nuclear program.
The agency considered the official's statements a rare instance of public cooperation between Israel and the United States in selecting targets for their operations in Syria. According to data from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, the intensive Israeli bombardment, which included more than 18 airstrikes around Deir Ezzor city and in the al-Bukamal and al-Mayadeen areas in eastern Syria, resulted in the deaths of at least 40 fighters loyal to the Damascus government, including nine Syrian soldiers, with at least 28 others injured.
The Syrian army announced in a statement broadcast by Syrian state media on Wednesday night that Israeli forces launched aggression against Deir Ezzor city and the Bukamal area in eastern Syria.
