BEIRUT: Five Iran-backed fighters were killed on Sunday in a drone strike in Syria’s east, near the Iraqi border, a war monitor said, adding it was not clear yet who was behind the attack.
“Five pro-Iranian fighters were killed and others were injured, some severely... after an unknown drone targeted the military vehicle they were in... near the Syrian-Iraqi border,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The strike occurred in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Iran wields significant influence and which is regularly targeted by Israel and the United States, according to the Britain-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.
In June, three pro-Iran fighters, including at least two Iraqis, were killed in an overnight air strike in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, the Observatory had reported at the time.
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters including from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria.
Iran-backed groups including Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement have bolstered President Bashar Assad’s forces during Syria’s civil war.
The Syrian government’s brutal suppression of a 2011 uprising triggered the conflict that has killed more than half a million people and drawn in foreign armies and militants.
Five pro-Iran fighters killed in Syria drone strike
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Five pro-Iran fighters killed in Syria drone strike
- The strike occurred in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Iran wields significant influence and which is regularly targeted by Israel and the United States
Gulf nations offer support for Yemen’s government and Saudi security
- Following withdrawal of UAE forces from Yemen, Qatar and Kuwait say their own security is linked to security of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states
- Bahrain says it has confidence in ability of the leaderships of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to ‘contain any differences in viewpoints’
LONDON: Gulf and Arab countries on Tuesday offered their support for the internationally recognized government in Yemen, after the UAE withdrew its forces from the country.
It came after the military coalition supporting Yemen’s government carried out airstrikes targeting a shipment of weapons and vehicles destined for southern separatist forces. The shipment arrived in the port of Al-Mukalla on two vessels that traveled from Fujairah in the UAE.
Early on Tuesday, shortly after the airstrikes, Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s presidential council, told Emirati authorities to withdraw their troops from Yemen within 24 hours.
Saudi authorities said the separatists, who operate under the Southern Transitional Council and are supported by the UAE, pose a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, and regional stability, after recently seizing territory in the governorates of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.
Authorities in Qatar said they were following the developments “with keen interest.” The country’s foreign ministry said Doha fully supported the legitimate government in Yemen, and stressed the importance of preserving the country’s unity and safeguarding the interests of the Yemeni people.
It added that the security of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council member states “constitute an inseparable part of the security of the State of Qatar, reflecting the deep-rooted fraternal ties and shared destiny that unite the GCC states.”
The ministry also commended Saudi Arabia and the UAE for statements “which reflect a commitment to prioritizing the interests of the region.”
Kuwait also offered its “unwavering support” for Yemen’s government and said the security of Saudi Arabia and GCC was the basis of its own national security. Its foreign ministry praised the “responsible approach” taken both by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Bahrain, which currently chairs the GCC, said it had confidence in the leaderships of Saudi Arabia and the UAE “and their ability to contain any differences in viewpoints within the framework of a unified Gulf.”
The nation’s foreign ministry offered “unequivocal” support for regional and international initiatives designed to help achieve a comprehensive and lasting political solution in Yemen.
Egypt said it had full confidence in Saudi Arabia and the UAE “to handle the current developments in Yemen with wisdom.” Efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement for Yemen will continue, it added.
