Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
Late on November 8, a series of strikes targeted a fuel shipment near the al-Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq.
The strikes hit a convoy of about 15 tankers that had crossed from Iraq into Syria near al-Qa’im. Members of paramilitary groups operating in the border area told the Associated Press that at least ten people, including Iranian nationals, were killed in the strikes. However, the Sabereen news channel on Telegram and other Iraqi sources said that as many as 25 people were killed.
Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
Paramilitary groups backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operate on the Syrian and Iraqi sides of al-Qa’im border crossing.
The governments of Syria and Iraq are yet to officially comment on the strikes, or provide a detailed account of their results.
A senior United States official has already denied responsibility for the strikes in a statement to BBC journalist Nafiseh Kohnavard. The unnamed official said that the U.S. Central Command is currently investigating the attack which resulted in civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, Iraqi sources told the Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV that Israel was behind the strikes on al-Qa’im crossing. According to the sources, several Israeli drones attacked the fuel shipment, destroying at least two tankers.
Israel attacked Iranian-backed forces on the Syrian-Iraqi border on several occasions over the last few years, but so did the U.S.
The origin of the target fuel shipment and its final destination remain unclear. Some speculate that this was an Iranian shipment meant for Hezbollah in Lebanon, where fuel prices have been on the rise. If confirmed, this will leave little doubt about Israel responsibility for the strikes.
Israel has been hunting down Iranian weapons shipments passing through Syrian en route to Hezbollah for nearly ten years now. Targeting a fuel shipment for the group would a first.
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