US denies it carried out Syria airstrikes
The United States on March 26 denied any involvement in the dawn strikes on eastern Syria, Reuters reported.
Syrian and Iranian media claimed that the US had carried out airstrikes in the city of Deir Ezzor, killing 19 Syrian soldiers and a prominent figure of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who the Iranian press did not identify, as well as a dozen civilians.
According to local sources, the strikes were launched into military sites and residential areas, causing significant damages to the latter.
In what was a brief response, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters at a press conference in Washington, “We did not carry out air strikes in Syria last night (March 25).”
Regional intelligence sources said that Israeli military planes launched numerous strikes into ten locations within Deir Ezzor, Al-Salihiyah, Al-Mayadeen and Al-Bukamal ,where Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have outposts.
READ: 39 dead in US strikes on Iraq and Syria
Israel has on multiple occasions targeted Iranian proxies based in various parts of Syria in an attempt to subdue the notable influence of Iran in the region.
Iran-backed groups have historically targeted US troops based in Iraq and Syria, particularly since Israel – America’s biggest ally in the Middle East – waged war on Gaza at the beginning of October, killing 33,000 civilians as of April 1.
The US has 900 troops in Syria, in support of the opposition Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and 2,500 in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government.
Bashar Al-Assad’s regime has strongly opposed US forces being in the country, repeatedly demanding they withdraw. Russia, Assad’s main backer, has echoed those calls.
Reuters/DW
