Airstrikes target Iran-aligned fighters, killing 12 in eastern Syria

Shafaq News/ The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 12 Iran-aligned fighters were killed and others injured late Saturday in five airstrikes carried out by "unknown aircraft" targeting their positions in eastern Syria.

According to the Observatory, the strikes hit locations in the city of Deir ez-Zor and its eastern outskirts, as well as the Al-Bukamal region near the Iraqi border. "The airstrikes specifically targeted military sites near Deir ez-Zor Airport."

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Earlier on Sunday, an Iraqi security official confirmed that airstrikes targeted positions held by Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhadaa along the Iraq-Syria border.

The official, speaking to Shafaq News Agency, indicated that initial information suggests casualties occurred due to the strikes, which are suspected to have been conducted by Israeli drones.

On Saturday, Iraqi armed factions announced two drone attacks on Israel, targeting key sites in Eilat and Tel Aviv.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) claimed responsibility, stating that the attacks were part of an escalating campaign in support of Palestine and Lebanon. These actions coincide with Hezbollah's mourning of Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

Since October 7, IRI has taken credit for multiple missile strikes on Israel and US bases in the region, aligning itself with the pro-Iranian Axis of Resistance that includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah), and others.