Five Iran-backed militia members killed in Syria strike

Five militiamen from Iran-backed groups, including a Hezbollah commander, have been killed in a drone strike in northern Syria
1 min read
09 May, 2021
The militants killed were Lebanese and Afghan nationals [Getty]
Five Iran-backed militiamen in Syria were killed in an drone strike by unidentified forces on Saturday night, local media reported.

Among those killed in the strike targeting an Iran-backed militia base near Maskaneh east of Aleppo was a prominent Hezbollah commander, the Syrian opposition Ain al-Furat network said.

The Lebanese militant group has fought on behalf of the Assad regime in Syria for a decade.

Another two of the militants killed in Saturday's strike were of Lebanese nationality. The others were Afghan nationals, according to Ain al-Furat.

No force has claimed responsibility for the strike, which the opposition media network said targeted a militia base located within a former sugar factory.

Israel has routinely carried out airstrikes targeting Syrian regime forces and Iran-backed militants including members of Hezbollah since the onset of the civil war in 2011.

Israeli forces rarely acknowledge such strikes, however, but has consistently vowed to prevent its arch-enemy Iran from gaining a foothold in neighbouring Syria.

Israel hit around 50 targets in Syria in 2020, according to an annual report released in late December by the Israeli military. 

The United States has also targeted Iran-linked militants in Syria. 

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