Iran's Revolutionary Guard bombs Islamic State positions in Syria
Farshid Motahari and Weedah Hamzah (dpa)
TEHRAN, Farshid Motahari and Weedah Hamzah (dpa)- Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) bombed positions of the Islamic State extremist group in south-eastern Syria on Monday, resulting in "numerous" deaths, according to media reports.
The bombing was in response to an attack last week in Ahwas, in south-western Iran, the IRGC said. That attack killed 25 people.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has been documenting violence in Syria since 2011, confirmed the attack and said this was the first time in which Iranian forces in Syria hit Islamic State positions by ground-to-ground missiles.
The missiles hit the eastern banks of the Euphrates in the eastern Deir al-Zour Province.
According to the observatory, the missiles hit the region of al-Hajeen and there were no reports on casualties yet.
The shelling came as fighting continued between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the jihadist groups in the area.
In May, the SDF announced that they will relaunch their campaign to seize the last territory still held by Islamic State near the eastern border with Iraq.
SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, halted their battles against Islamic State in eastern Syria after Turkey launched an assault on the Afrin region in northern Syria in January.
Iran is a main backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Its Revolutionary Guard and militias backed by Tehran have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces since the uprising started.
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The missiles hit the eastern banks of the Euphrates in the eastern Deir al-Zour Province.
According to the observatory, the missiles hit the region of al-Hajeen and there were no reports on casualties yet.
The shelling came as fighting continued between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the jihadist groups in the area.
In May, the SDF announced that they will relaunch their campaign to seize the last territory still held by Islamic State near the eastern border with Iraq.
SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, halted their battles against Islamic State in eastern Syria after Turkey launched an assault on the Afrin region in northern Syria in January.
Iran is a main backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Its Revolutionary Guard and militias backed by Tehran have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces since the uprising started.
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