Popular Mobilization Forces personnal stand by a burning truck after a drone attack, blamed on Israel, in western Iraq near the Syria border, August 25, 2019 (AP)
Iran-backed Iraqi militia have been hit by another airstrike in eastern Syria.
Pro-opposition activists of Deir ez-Zor 24 said a drone fired missiles on a position in al-Bukamal on the Iraqi border, hitting a weapons depot of the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The collective said at least 10 fighters were killed. Other reports said there were no casualties, but Iraqi officials supported the claim of deaths.
The Assad regime military initially denied any attack. It later acknowledged the strike, but asserted that no fighter was killed.
Last week, warplanes targeted an arms depot and posts in al-Bukamal, killing at least 18 fighters. The Israeli military is suspected of the strike, although it has not claimed responsibility.
See Syria Daily, Sept 10: Airstrikes on Iran-Backed Militia in East
Israel, which has struck Iranian and Hezbollah targets throughout the 102-month Syria conflict, has expanded attacks in recent months. The Israelis have bombed PMF bases inside Iraq, and have carried out a drone attack on Hezbollah in southern Beirut in Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding the complete withdrawal from Syria of Iranian and Iran-backed forces, which have been essential since 2012 in keeping Bashar al-Assad in power.
See Iran Daily, August 30: Israel’s Warning to Lebanon — No Tehran Missile-Production Facilities
The Iranian-supported militia and Hezbollah were significant in the recapture of al-Bukamal from the Islamic State in late 2017. The border crossing to Iraq is still closed.
Al-Bayan newspaper reported that “the visit of the commander of al-Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Qasim Soleimani to the city of al-Bukamal last [July] marked a turning point in the American-Iranian conflict in Deir-ez-Zor city. […] Activists from al-Bukamal confirmed to the al-Bayan that […] Iran has recently expanded its activities to the areas of East Euphrates, and is recruiting some young people in those areas, pointing out that it seeks to divide the ranks of the Arab tribes on the banks of the Euphrates River in order to remove tribes from the US-Kurdish alliance in the region. It is estimated that the number of Iranian militias about 2,000 fighters belong mainly to the brigade of Fatmayoun and al-Baqir Brigade, led by the tribal figure Nawaf Ragheb al-Bashir.
https://hawarnews.com/en///haber/russia-wants-progress-on-the-eve-of-astana-h10636.html 8/1/2019
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Statement from Deir Ezzor Military Council commander condemning pro-regime commander who threatened SDF-held area “We as sons of the Baggara tribe in Deir Ezzor Military Council vow to defend our land against any attackers whether from regime & its proxies”. Earlier this week Fadi Efais, a leader of the pro-Iranian Liwa al-Baqir militia, affiliated to Baggara tribe leader Nawaf al-Bashir threatened SDF-held territories.
https://twitter.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/1173943434077515779 9/17/2019
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Saudi fighter jets strike pro-Iran militias in eastern Syria: Independent Arabia
Saudi fighter jets, including jets [from other countries] monitored changes in the positions of Iranian militias, especially those of the Quds Force in Albu Kamal and other areas in the Iraqi-Syrian border, destroying warehouses, batteries, missiles and a drone base all believed were about to be used by Iran to strike other Saudi targets after targeting Aramco,” the western source, who declined to be named, told Independent Arabia.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/09/18/Saudi-fighter-jets-strike-pro-Iran-militias-in-eastern-Syria-Independent-Arabia.html 9/18/2019
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The US Treasury has appended to its list of terror supporters 15 new companies and individuals, 10 of which are based in Turkey. They were providing financial and logistical support to such extremist Islamist groups as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds-Force (IRGC-QF) without encountering any restrictions from Turkish authorities.
https://www.nordicmonitor.com/2019/09/new-us-treasury-blacklist-show-terror-groups-were-running-wild-in-turkey/ 9/18/2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQtJfCX8zcI