An Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration. (photo credit: AMIR COHEN – REUTERS)
Late on July 13, a series of explosions rocked the border line between Syria and Iraq, according to several news sources from the two countries.
The explosions reportedly emanated from positions of Iranian-backed forces near the town of al-Bukamal that is located in the southern countryside of Syria’s Deir Ezzor, right on the border with Iraq. At around the same time, an explosion was reported at an ammunition depot of the Iranian-affiliated Popular Mobilization Units in the town of Husaybah in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar. Iraqi activists shared footage of the explosion.
While some sources blamed the explosions on strikes by the US-led coalition, others said that they were the result of an aerial attack by Israel.
The defense ministries of Syria and Iraq are yet to officially clarify the causes of the mysterious explosions, or where exactly they took place.
Both the US-led coalition and Israel attacked targets of Iranian-backed forces along the Syrian-Iraqi border in the past. The attacks carried out by the coalition were a response to operations by Iranian-backed forces that wounded or killed some of its troops. However, the Israeli attacks targeted key facilities of Iranian-backed forces.
It’s worth noting that the mysterious explosions at the Syrian-Iraqi border occurred just a few hours after the arrival of US President Joe Biden to Israel, his first stop in a tour that would also see him visiting Saudi Arabia. Biden’s tour is meant to set the base for an Israeli-Arab air-defense alliance directed against Iran and its Arab allies.
