Report: 9 killed in Syria strike, including senior Iranian commander

In an unusual attack, nine operatives were killed overnight in attacks aimed at pro-Iranian militias in the Deir ez-Zur and Al Bukamal areas in Syria. According to the Syrian Center for Human Rights, one of the dead in the attack is an Iranian official.

According to reports, the targets of the attacks were farms in the city of al-Mayadin, two headquarters of the militias in Al Bukamal, a military headquarters in the al-Abbas area, and a set of villas in Deir ez-Zur. It was also claimed that the latter strike was carried out several hours after an Iranian transport plane landed at the Deir ez-Zur airport, with members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on board. Experts believe that the plane brought logistics equipment, communication equipment, and cameras - which were taken in a truck to an unknown location.

The Lebanese Al Mayadeen network reported that the attacks were carried out by the US military, but a short time later a senior American military official denied this and told Al Jazeera that there were no American attacks in Syria tonight. As a result, officials at the Syrian Center for Human Rights now believe that Israel is behind the strike in Deir ez-Zur and perhaps some of the others.