Unidentified warplanes bomb Iranian military base on Syrian-Iraqi border
On Saturday evening, unidentified aircraft launched missile strikes on a camp of pro-Iranian Shiite militias near the town of Abu Kamal, near the Syrian-Iraqi border, in northeastern Syria, reports the TV channel Al-Hadath, citing the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
At least five militants were reportedly killed in the attack.
Earlier, it was reported that the construction of an Iranian-funded military base and transport infrastructure in the Abu Kamal area, which would allow the transfer of goods from Iran through Iraq to Syria, was being completed.
Until November 2017, the territory was controlled by the terrorist organization Islamic State which fights against Iran.
After Syrian government forces, backed by fighters from Iranian-controlled Shiite groups drove the jihadists out from Deir ez-Zor province, near Abu Kamal and along the Syrian-Iraqi border, the intensive construction of military installations began in the area.
According to Israeli experts, the purpose of the construction, which is subsidized by Iran and is overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), is to provide a strategic "land corridor" that will connect Iran and Syria.
It is unknown who is behind the missile strikes on Iranian targets near Abu Kamal. The last time an airstrike was carried out on Abu Kamal military base was on 4 December.