Under the title "Airstrikes Target Iranian Militias on the Syria-Iraq Border," Al Arabiya reported that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Monday evening the sounds of explosions heard near the Syrian-Iraqi border, close to Al-Bukamal, an area controlled by Iranian militias, due to shelling from an unidentified aircraft, with initial reports indicating no casualties. This coincides with bombardment on the city of Al-Mayadeen, where loud explosions were reported in the agricultural area near the city located in Deir ez-Zor countryside, resulting from airstrikes by an unidentified aircraft targeting Iranian militia positions in the western banks of the Euphrates River in Syrian territory, without reports of human losses. It is noted that the agricultural area is a military zone for Iranian militias, which serves as a training center for fighters and new recruits.
According to statements from residents to Reuters, unidentified aircraft targeted a base run by Iranian-backed armed groups in Deir ez-Zor province, east of Syria, near the Iraqi border, where Tehran expanded its military presence last year. Residents reported that the strikes occurred south of the town of Al-Mayadeen along the Euphrates River, which has become a significant base for several Iranian armed factions, mostly from Iraq, following the expulsion of ISIS elements approximately four years ago. The residents recounted that these militias' members patrolling the streets were put on high alert, and ambulances were seen rushing towards the desert outskirts of the city after the sounds of several explosions were heard. Additionally, residents stated that the militias now control the town as part of their growing presence in Deir ez-Zor province.
On September 25, the Observatory reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had transferred Iranian-made "Burkan H2" missiles from a militia weapons stash near the archaeological site of Shibli in the Al-Mayadeen desert east of Deir ez-Zor, transporting them via heavily guarded trucks to areas and positions controlled by Tehran-backed militias in the Maidan area in eastern Raqqa countryside. The Observatory mentioned that there was no information about the reasons for this operation or whether it falls under the category of "ongoing preparations" by those militias to target coalition bases and sites east of the Euphrates, or for other reasons.
In similar previous incidents, the international coalition denied conducting airstrikes, opening the door to analyses that suggested these strikes might be Israeli. It is worth noting that Israel, which is concerned about the increasing Iranian regional influence and military presence in Syria, claims to have carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria to slow down Tehran's consolidation of its position there.
Last year, Israeli drone strikes focused on the border town of Al-Bukamal, southeast of Al-Mayadeen, which lies on a strategic supply route for Iranian-backed armed factions that regularly send reinforcements from Iraq to Syria. These factions also control vast areas of the border on the Iraqi side. According to Western intelligence sources, Israel has expanded its airstrikes against what are suspected to be arms transfers and deployments by Iranian-backed factions and their allies from Hezbollah, who support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
