US forces on patrol in Syria, where attacks against them are becoming more frequent. AFP
US forces on patrol in Syria, where attacks against them are becoming more frequent. AFP

Air strikes hit convoy in Syria crossing from Iraq



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A convoy of lorries has been hit by an air strike in Syria, shortly after crossing the Iraqi border at dawn Monday, an Iraqi official told The National.

The convoy entered from Al Qaim border crossing in western Iraq to Al Bukamal in Syria, a senior Iraqi official with the Commission of Border Crossings said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He was not able to give more details.

Three lorries were damaged, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.

No casualties have been confirmed.

On Friday, the US military carried out air strikes on two sites it said were used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and groups it supports.

Those were in response to a spate of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said.

On Sunday night, strikes launched by an unidentified aircraft hit a building the militia was using near Al Bukamal, two Iraqi militia sources told Reuters.

The building was evacuated and no casualties were reported, the sources said.

Iranian proxies in Iraq have stepped up drone and missile attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria due to Washington's support of Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, after Hamas operatives killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, in cross-border raids on October 7.

The Israeli attacks have killed more than 8,000 people, most of them civilians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, leading to widespread anger across the Middle East.

On Thursday, the Pentagon reported that at least 21 US troops had experienced “minor injuries” from rocket and drone attacks in Iraq and Syria since October 17.

Updated: October 30, 2023, 2:39 PM