Coalition Aircraft Fly Over Iran-Backed Militias' ‘Capital’ in Eastern Syria

A Syrian army soldier stands on a damaged building in Deraa al Balaad, Syria, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar
A Syrian army soldier stands on a damaged building in Deraa al Balaad, Syria, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar
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Coalition Aircraft Fly Over Iran-Backed Militias' ‘Capital’ in Eastern Syria

A Syrian army soldier stands on a damaged building in Deraa al Balaad, Syria, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar
A Syrian army soldier stands on a damaged building in Deraa al Balaad, Syria, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar

International coalition aircraft flew over al-Mayadeen, described as the capital of Iran-backed militias, in eastern Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday increased air traffic, especially drones, over Mayadeen, al-Ashara town, and Buqrus village in Der Ezzor’s countryside.

Meanwhile, reports stated that four missiles launched from a military site belonging to the Iranian militias near the industrial secondary school in Mayadeen targeted a base of the international coalition within the al-Omar field.

The Observatory added that the Iranian militias mobilized their forces, and four-wheel drive vehicles loaded with heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft weaponry arrived at a military center at the paper mill in Husseiniya, north of Deir Ezzor.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced that missiles targeted the international coalition forces in one of its bases in northeastern Syria without causing casualties.

The statement read: "At approximately 9:32 pm local time in Syria, rockets targeted Coalition Forces at the Green Village base in northeast Syria. The attack resulted in no injuries or damage to the base or coalition property."

Centcom indicated that the US forces in northeast Syria are investigating the incident.

Agence France Presse noted that the US leadership did not accuse any party but made it clear that the US forces deployed in the region were investigating the incident.

"Attacks of this kind place coalition forces and the civilian populace at risk and undermine the hard-earned stability and security of Syria and the region," said Joe Buccino, Centcom spokesman.

The area of eastern Syria is an essential route for the Iraqi battalions, the Lebanese Hezbollah, and other pro-Iranian groups. According to AFP, it is used to transfer weapons, fighters, and various goods between Iraq and Syria.

Earlier in November, a convoy of fuel tanks and weapons belonging to Iran-backed fighters was subjected to airstrikes after crossing from Iraq into eastern Syria, killing 14 people, according to the Syrian Observatory.

The coalition denied that any of its forces, including Americans, were responsible for carrying out the raid.

Over the years, trucks carrying weapons and ammunition, warehouses, and military sites of the pro-Tehran groups have been subjected to airstrikes, especially between al-Mayadeen and al-Bukamal.

About 900 American soldiers are still deployed in northeastern Syria and at the al-Tanf base near the Syrian-Jordanian-Iraqi border triangle.

Meanwhile, a Syrian checkpoint intercepted a US military convoy that tried to enter the al-Damkhiya in Qamishli.

Meanwhile, the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) quoted local sources as saying that five US military vehicles tried to enter al-Damkhiya village in Qamishli's countryside.

Members of an army checkpoint intercepted and expelled it outside the area, local sources told SANA on Friday.



Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The Red Cross raised alarm on Thursday at the growing use of drone attacks by warring parties on hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure in Sudan, which it said was contributing to widespread human rights violations.

Some 70-80% of hospitals in Sudan were not running and there were concerns cholera could surge due to damage caused by the war to water infrastructure, the International Committee of the Red Cross told reporters in Geneva.

"A recent drone attack stopped all the electricity provision in an area close to Khartoum, which means critical infrastructure is being damaged," said Patrick Youssef, the Red Cross's Regional Director for Africa, in a new report.

"There is a clear increased use of these technologies, drones - to be in the hands of everyone - which increases the impact on the local population and the intensity of attacks," Youssef said.

After two years of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, some people are returning to Khartoum after they were forced to flee when war broke out on April 15, 2023 amidst a ongoing power struggle between the army and the RSF ahead of a transition to civilian rule.

Some 12 million people have been displaced by the conflict since 2023.

"We have seen violations of the law left, right and center,” Youssef said, urging the warring parties to allow the Red Cross access so it can offer humanitarian support and document atrocities.

In March, aid groups told Reuters that the RSF had placed new constraints on aid deliveries to territories where it was seeking to cement its control. Aid groups have also accused the army of denying or hindering access to RSF-controlled areas.

Both sides in the conflict deny impeding aid.