State media reported that a Syrian military position in the eastern part of the country had been targeted, in what Syrian military sources claimed, the U.S.-led coalition was responsible for. While state media said the strike took place in al-Harra, southeast of Albu Kamal; A U.S. Central Command spokesman denied carrying out strikes in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 40 pro-regime fighters were killed, while some reports indicated the fatalities were Iranian-backed militants. A Syrian army commander revealed that drones, “probably American,” had bombed positions of Iraqi factions, referring to the Iraqi Mobilization Forces – a Shi’ite militia alliance that operates under the directives of the Quds Force, the elite arm of Iran’s revolutionary guards.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his weekly cabinet meeting, reiterated Jerusalem’s position, in which it will not allow Iran and its proxies to entrench militarily in Syria. Netanyahu said he clarified this position in two separate phone conversations he held over the weekend with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Over the weekend I spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. We discussed regional issues and focused – of course – on Syria. I reiterated our guiding principles regarding Syria. First of all, Iran needs to withdraw from all of Syria. Second, we will take-action, and are already taking-action, against efforts to establish a militarily presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria both close to the border and deep inside Syria. We will act against these efforts anywhere in Syria,” Netanyahu said.