Explosion blasts near US base in Syria, Tensions escalate

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, a powerful explosion occurred near the Al-Omar oil field, the largest base for the US-led coalition in Syria, east of Deir ez-Zor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) announced.

According to SOHR, US planes flew over areas of Deir Ezzor countryside after the explosion. However, no party claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier, “US forces fired heavy artillery shells from their base in “Koniko” gas field in Deir Ezzor countryside, on areas held by the regime forces and Iranian militias,” targeting areas under Syrian government control and allied Iranian-backed factions. The artillery fire hit positions in the towns of Khasham and Marat, where local armed groups mobilized, butno casualties werereported.

These hostilities come amid escalating exchanges of fire between the US-led coalition forces and Iranian-aligned factions across areas west of the Euphrates River.

Since October 7, 2023, the Iraqi factions have attacked Israeli targets and US bases in Iraq and Syria, positioning itself as a key player in the pro-Iranian Axis of Resistance, which includes Yemen’s Ansarallah, Lebanese Hezbollah, and other factions that have pledged to defend Gaza against Israeli aggression.