Coalition Airstrikes Target Syrian Government Forces Caravan

The international coalition led by the United States announced on Tuesday that its fighter jets targeted the positions of a unit of Syrian government-affiliated forces in the al-Tanf border area. According to Reuters, the statement specified that approximately 60 Syrian government-affiliated forces, along with tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, and anti-aircraft weapons, were approaching the al-Tanf base at the Iraq-Jordan border. This action posed a threat to the coalition forces present at this base. The statement also emphasized that coalition forces had warned this unit before the attack. Reuters reports that U.S. and British special units have expanded the al-Tanf base to train Syrian forces. The goal of these forces is to expel Islamic State (ISIS) militants from the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, which borders Iraq. The U.S.-led international coalition stated that this attack occurred when Syrian government-affiliated forces advanced in an area that included ceasefire regulations. The statement noted that the coalition forces do not wish to engage in combat with Syrian government forces or their affiliates but are prepared to defend themselves. This is the second time coalition forces have attacked Syrian government-affiliated forces in this area. International media, citing local sources, reported that U.S.-led coalition fighter jets targeted a convoy of the Syrian army and Iran-backed militants on May 17. Mazahim al-Saloum, from the Maghaweer al-Thawra group, told Reuters that coalition fighter jets attacked the convoy after Syrian army forces and Iran-backed militants clashed with rebel forces 27 kilometers from this military base. Regional security sources say that the Baghdad-Damascus highway was a major route for transporting Iranian weapons into Syria before the Islamic State seized the border strip between Iraq and Syria.