Six Iranian-backed Militants Killed in Airstrikes at Syria-Iraq Border

Two members of Iraqi militia groups told the Associated Press that six Iranian-backed militants were killed during three airstrikes on Saturday night, January 9, in eastern Syria near a strategic border crossing with Iraq. The attacks targeted the Boukamal border area just hours after a group of Iraqi militants known as "Islamic Resistance," supported by Iran, claimed responsibility for an attack on a U.S. military base in Erbil, northern Iraq. Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, this group has conducted over a hundred attacks on U.S. positions in Iraq and eastern Syria. The Associated Press, citing unnamed members of this militia group, reported that four of the killed militants were from Hezbollah Lebanon, also supported by Iran, and two others were Syrian. They added that two others were injured. Meanwhile, "Deir Ezzor 24," a group of activists covering news in the area, told the news agency that the airstrikes targeted two militia posts and a weapons depot, which they claimed had recently been filled with rocket launchers and ammunition. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, also stated that these attacks targeted not only the weapons depot but also a convoy of militants that had entered Syria from Iraq and a location where militants affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were being trained. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nine people were killed in these attacks; three Syrians and six from other nationalities. The news agency quoted an unnamed U.S. official as saying that the United States did not carry out these attacks. Washington has confirmed previous attacks on Iranian-backed militia positions following an increase in their attacks over the past two months. President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to strike Iranian-backed Iraqi groups last week after a missile attack that injured three American soldiers. The news agency reported that the increase in tensions has put Baghdad in a sensitive position. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has attempted to reduce tensions between the militia groups that played a role in his rise to power and the United States, which holds Iraq's currency reserves. The Boukamal area in Deir Ezzor province, along the Iraqi border, has been a strategic area for Iranian-backed militants since it was retaken from the terrorist group ISIS in 2019, even before recent tensions. The Associated Press reported that Israeli airstrikes on Saturday targeted areas south of Aleppo, causing damage, but no casualties were reported. A radio channel supporting Bashar al-Assad stated that these attacks were near Aleppo airport but did not damage it. The news agency also cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, stating that only one of six Israeli missiles landed near the airport, while the others targeted positions of Iranian-backed militants and their weapon depots. This organization, without providing further details, stated that seven people were killed or injured in these attacks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also noted that this attack was the seventy-third Israeli strike on Syria this calendar year but did not mention the number or identity of potential casualties resulting from it. Saudi media reported on Friday, January 8, that 11 commanders and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in an Israeli attack on Damascus airport on Thursday night. Two Saudi media outlets, Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya, cited their sources as saying that the IRGC commanders and Iranian-backed militia groups were waiting to welcome "a high-ranking delegation" at the time of the attack. In recent years, many attacks have been carried out against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian-affiliated militia groups in Syria, which have been attributed to Israel, but the country rarely claims responsibility for them.