Photo: U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson
Late on July 13, an unidentified combat drone targeted a military crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The crossing, which is located in the village of al-Harra in the southern countryside of Syria’s Deir Ezzor, is allegedly run by Iranian-backed Iraqi forces. No losses were reported as a result of the drone strike.
If confirmed, this will not be the first such strike this year. On May 22, an unidentified combat drone targeted a vehicle in the western region of Iraq, near the border line with Syria. The vehicle, a Toyota pickup truck, was allegedly carrying weapons.
The US and Israel both carried out strikes on Iranian-backed forces guarding the Syrian-Iraqi border line on several occasions in the last few years.
The alleged new strike on al-Harra crossing may have been a response by the US to recent attacks on its bases in northeastern Syria. Iranian-backed Syrian and Iraqi forces were allegedly behind these attacks.
Less than 12 hours before the alleged drone strike, official Syrian sources reported a new attack on the US main base in al-Omar oil fields in the northeastern region.
The ongoing covert war between the US and Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria is without a doubt escalating. Washington appears to be incapable of deterring Tehran’s allies.
