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Iranian-backed forces in the Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor are preparing to respond to any American attack on their positions, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on August 21.
The Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces, Kata’ib Hezbollah and Liwa Fatemiyoun have all placed their rocket units in Deir Ezzor on high-alert.
According to the London-based monitoring group, the three factions deployed rocket launchers near Abdul Munim Riad school as well as in the area of al-Khanat and al-Mazar’a in the outskirts of the town of al-Mayadin in the southern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
Iranian-backed forces in Deir Ezzor are apparently worried that the US-led coalition may strike their positions in response to recent attacks on its bases.
Over the past week, three attacks targeted coalition’s bases in Syria. On August 15, a number of suicide drones struck the coalition’s garrison in the southeastern area of al-Tanf. At around the same time, a rocket attack hit the coalition’s Green Village base in al-Omar oil fields in the southeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. Later on August 20, a second rocket attack targeted the Green Village. Iranian-backed forces were reportedly behind all three attacks.
The recent attacks were likely a response by Iranian-backed Syrian and Iraqi forces to the August 14 Israeli attack on Syria, which killed three soldiers and wounded three others.
Iranian-backed forces are apparently trying to mount more pressure on the US, who continues to occupy key oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria as well as to block the strategic Damascus-Baghdad highway in the country’s southeastern region.
