BEIRUT: A car bombing killed two pro-Iran fighters in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor on Saturday, a war monitor said.
An explosive device went off in an SUV near the Iranian cultural center, killing two Iran-backed fighters, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Government forces and Iran-backed groups imposed a security cordon around the site of the attack, said the Observatory, a Britain-based organization with a network of sources on the ground in the war-torn country.
It was unclear who was behind the attack in Deir Ezzor city, a stronghold of Tehran that is home to Iranian advisers, institutions, and the cultural center.
Control of Deir Ezzor province, an oil-rich region bordering Iraq, is split between Kurdish forces to the east of the Euphrates and Iran-backed Syrian government forces and their proxies to the west.
Iran-backed groups including Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement have bolstered President Bashar Assad’s forces since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011.
The Syrian government’s brutal suppression of a 2011 uprising triggered a conflict that has killed more than half a million people and drawn in foreign armies and militants.
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Car bombing kills two pro-Iran fighters in Syria: monitor
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Car bombing kills two pro-Iran fighters in Syria: monitor
- An explosive device went off in an SUV near the Iranian cultural center
- It was unclear who was behind the attack in Deir Ezzor city
UN force says Israel fired near peacekeepers in south Lebanon
- UNIFIL reports two incidents of gunfire hitting 50 meters away from its patrols
- The force has been working with Lebanon’s army to support a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah
BEIRUT: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said gunfire from an Israeli position hit close to its peacekeepers twice on Friday, reporting no casualties but decrying a “concerning trend.”
UNIFIL has repeatedly reported Israeli fire near or toward its personnel in recent months, and last week said an Israeli attack near one of its positions lightly wounded a peacekeeper.
Personnel patrolling in south Lebanon on Friday “reported 15 rounds of small arms fire that struck no more than 50 meters away from them,” a UNIFIL statement said.
Shortly afterwards, “peacekeepers in a second patrol in the same area reported approximately 100 rounds of machine-gun fire struck approximately 50 meters from them,” it added, reporting no damage or injuries.
“Peacekeepers assessed that the fire came from an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) position south of the Blue Line in both cases,” the statement said, referring to the de facto border, and “sent a ‘stop fire’ request through its liaison channels.”
It said UNIFIL had informed the Israeli army about the peacekeepers’ activities in advance.
“Incidents like these are happening on a too-regular basis, and becoming a concerning trend,” the statement said.
“We reiterate our call to the IDF to cease aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers working for peace and stability along the Blue Line.”
UNIFIL has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon for decades, and recently has been working with Lebanon’s army to support a year-old ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.
The force on Friday noted that “attacks on or near peacekeepers are serious violations” of a 2006 UN Security Council resolution that formed the basis of the current ceasefire.
Under the November 2024 truce, Israel was to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon, but it has kept them at five areas it deems strategic and carries out regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives.
Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, starting in the south near the frontier.
Last August, the UN Security Council voted for the peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027.
UNIFIL has repeatedly reported Israeli fire near or toward its personnel in recent months, and last week said an Israeli attack near one of its positions lightly wounded a peacekeeper.
Personnel patrolling in south Lebanon on Friday “reported 15 rounds of small arms fire that struck no more than 50 meters away from them,” a UNIFIL statement said.
Shortly afterwards, “peacekeepers in a second patrol in the same area reported approximately 100 rounds of machine-gun fire struck approximately 50 meters from them,” it added, reporting no damage or injuries.
“Peacekeepers assessed that the fire came from an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) position south of the Blue Line in both cases,” the statement said, referring to the de facto border, and “sent a ‘stop fire’ request through its liaison channels.”
It said UNIFIL had informed the Israeli army about the peacekeepers’ activities in advance.
“Incidents like these are happening on a too-regular basis, and becoming a concerning trend,” the statement said.
“We reiterate our call to the IDF to cease aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers working for peace and stability along the Blue Line.”
UNIFIL has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon for decades, and recently has been working with Lebanon’s army to support a year-old ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.
The force on Friday noted that “attacks on or near peacekeepers are serious violations” of a 2006 UN Security Council resolution that formed the basis of the current ceasefire.
Under the November 2024 truce, Israel was to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon, but it has kept them at five areas it deems strategic and carries out regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives.
Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, starting in the south near the frontier.
Last August, the UN Security Council voted for the peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027.
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