US-led coalition strikes Assad’s allies again near Deir ez-Zor
According to the agency Euphrates Post, units of Fatemiyoun and Zainebiyoun (Afghan and Pakistani Shia military formations fighting on the side of government troops in Syria and supported by Iran) have attempted to cross to the eastern bank the Euphrates River in the area of Al-Muhasan, but were attacked by the US-led coalition air force. The militants retreated to the airfield near Deir ez-Zor and from there tried to cross again to the other bank of the river through a pontoon bridge erected by Russian military engineers.
The purpose of the offensive was allegedly the Jafra gas field located between the Conoco gas field and al-Umar oil field. According to the agency, the strikes on the positions of Fatemiyoun and Zainebiyoun continued for three days. On the first day 80 people were killed and on the second 70. On the third day, the militants tried again to mount an offensive losing 20 more people.
The agency reports, citing its sources in Deir ez-Zor, that the operation was controlled by Iran with the aim to capture oil fields in the province. It’s not known whether Syrian government and Russian forces were involved in it.