US Makes Reinforcements at East Syria Base

US troops in Syria's Deir Ezzor. AFP
US troops in Syria's Deir Ezzor. AFP
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US Makes Reinforcements at East Syria Base

US troops in Syria's Deir Ezzor. AFP
US troops in Syria's Deir Ezzor. AFP

International coalition forces led by the United States have taken measures to make “reinforcements” at their military base in northeastern Syria two days after coming under attack by Iran-backed militias in Deir Ezzor’s countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday.

“A convoy carrying logistic and military equipment has left the international coalition base in Koniko gas field heading to the coalition base in Al-Omar oilfield in east Deir Ezzor countryside,” reliable sources have informed the Observatory.

“We can’t say definitively who caused them or why the attacks seem to have stepped up,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday about the rocket attacks on the base.

“It is certainly possible that it can be related to” the nuclear talks in Vienna or the two-year anniversary of the Killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a US strike at Baghdad airport.

The Observatory said that “unidentified” drones renewed their airstrikes on Iranian proxy positions in the western Euphrates region, targeting military positions in Al-Tabni area and Al-Masrab desert in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor in the early hours of Thursday, causing material damage and casualties.

According to Observatory sources, drone strikes were preceded by explosions, heard in several places in the eastern Euphrates area, near the coalition base in Koniko.



Syria’s Sharaa Congratulates Trump, Looks Forward to Improving Relations 

A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
TT

Syria’s Sharaa Congratulates Trump, Looks Forward to Improving Relations 

A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.

"The past decade has brought immense suffering to Syria, with the conflict devastating our nation and destabilizing the region. We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region".

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar al-Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into civil war.

In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.

Syria welcomed the move, but has urged a complete lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.