TEL AVIV: Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes Wednesday morning in eastern Syria, killing dozens of people according to independent war monitors, in one of their deadliest raids on sites used by backed militias for Iran.
The strikes took place in several locations, including the cities of Deir Ezzour, Mayadeen and al-Boukamal and near the border with Syria and Iraq, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA. The strikes focused on Syrian government positions, arms depots and pro-Iranian militias, according to Syrian state media and Suhaib Jaber, who heads Euphrates Post, an independent war monitor.
About 40 members of the forces allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were killed in the strike, according to Omar Abu Layla, who leads the Deir Ezzor24 network of activists.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the strike.
“Israel is determined to avoid Iranian military takeover in Syria,” said Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s minister of community affairs and a member of the security cabinet. But he did not want to make any specific comments about the latest strike.