LONDON: Syrian regime forces were expected to cross the Euphrates river near Deir Ezzor last night or by this morning, a UK-based war monitor said, bringing the threat of new clashes in the flashpoint region.
The river has formed a dividing line between Russian-backed Syrian regime forces and the US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, which are fighting Daesh in separate offensives in the area.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is advancing toward the Euphrates from the east, has said it would block regime forces from crossing from the west.
Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, told Arab News that he expects the Syrian regime forces to cross the Euphrates river imminently.
“I think they will go there, outside of the agreement between Russia and the coalition,” he told Arab News. “They need to protect Deir Ezzor city.”
An aide to Syrian President Bashar Assad said earlier that regime forces were ready to fight the SDF in a bid to recapture areas to the east of the country.
Ahmed Abu Khawla, the SDF Deir Ezzor military council commander, has warned regime forces and militia allies against firing across the river.
“Now we have 3 km between us and the eastern riverbank, once our forces reach the area, any shot fired into that area we will be considered an attack on the military council,” he told Reuters.
“We have notified the regime and Russia that we are coming to the Euphrates riverbank, and they can see our forces advancing,” he said. “We do not allow the regime or its militias to cross to the eastern riverbank.”
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Syrian Army had already crossed.
“Advance units have successfully crossed the Euphrates and are holding positions on its eastern bank,” she was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Abu Khawla disputed the claims, and has not ruled out his forces targeting Deir Ezzor city, which lies on the western side of the Euphrates.
Meanwhile, the SDF said on Saturday its forces near Deir Ezzor had been hit by an airstrike, wounding at least six fighters.
The SDF command said in a statement that Saturday's air raid occurred on the eastern side of the Euphrates in an industrial area recently liberated from Daesh, AP reported.
The SDF claimed that Russian and Syrian regime warplanes had targeted it, prompting a denial from Russia’s military spokesman.
Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory said it was not true that Russia was behind the airstrike on SDF forces.
It was highly likely that it was a mistaken strike by a member of the US-led coalition, he added.
“We know that, from (Friday) night until early morning there were at least eight airstrikes from the coalition in the same area,” Abdulrahman told Arab News.
“Maybe by mistake the coalition made a strike (on the SDF).”
“There were no Russian airstrikes in that area, for sure. (It was) the US or somebody from the coalition, we don’t know which country.”
In another development, in Iraq, armed forces on Saturday dislodged Daesh from a border area with Syria, according to military sources quoted by Reuters.
An Iraqi military statement said Akashat, a desert region located south of the Euphrates, was captured in an offensive announced earlier in the day.
The attack on Akashat is meant to pave the way for the recapture of urban centers in the Euphrates valley, including the border post of Al-Qaim, Reuters said.