Deepening the Middle East crisis, a drone strike in Syria killed six Kurdish fighters backed by the United States. The attack struck the area at al-Omar base, near the region housing US troops in eastern Syria.
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Monday that the attack hit a training ground at al-Omar base of Deir el-Zour, where the forces’ commando units are trained.
Initially SDF accused "Syrian regime-backed mercenaries" of carrying out Sunday's attack. Later, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, group backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for a drone attack on al-Omar field.
Farhad Shami, a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said on X that the drone struck an SDF commando academy at a U.S. base at Al-Omar oilfield, resulting "in the martyrdom of six of our Commando
fighters."
Meanwhile, Britian-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed at least 18 SDF fighters were wounded in the attack.
The Syria attack comes after US strikes hit Houthi targets in Yemen and Iran-backed stations in Iraq and Syria.
Middle East unrest had intensified since Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, Israel claimed that it has killed "dozens of terrorists" in the central and northern Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.
"Conducted targeted raids on terrorist targets and located weapons including AK-47 rifles, sniper rifles, grenades, and ammunition," Israel claimed.
Meanwhile, amid crisis in the UNRWA, with major world leaders suspending its funds supporting Palestinians, the agency’s chief termed it as "disproportionate and dangerous". In the wake of withdrawal of funds after allegations were raised against its staffers involved in the October 7 attacks, Spain has decided to send additional funds. Spain will send the UN Palestinian refugee agency an additional 3.5 million euros in aid.
Meanwhile, at least 20 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had fled.
According to UN humanitarian agency OCHA, 234 Palestinians were killed over the weekend bringing the total death toll in Gaza.
Amid intensifying Middle East tensions, the US Secretary of state Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Saudi Arabia on his fifth visit to the region since October attacks.
Blinken's visit comes after the US carried out retaliatory strikes against Iran-linked stations in Iraq and Syria and Houthis in Yemen.
Blinken is expected to begin his trip on Monday in Saudi Arabia, which before the 7 October attack had been mulling steps to establish relations with Israel, a potentially historic step for the country that is the guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites.
(With agencies inputs)
