Social media and Telegram channels were buzzing Thursday afternoon with reports of an apparent attack on Syria's border with Iraq that targeted a convoy of vehicles.
Images of the purported attack showed a car that was ablaze.
The social media reports initially pointed the finger at the U.S. and later at Israel. But official reports on the alleged attack were slow to follow.
Outlets affiliated with Iraqi Shiite militias reported that unidentified aircraft had targeted a vehicle that carried “logistical equipment” belonging to an Iraqi militia group.
Iraqi outlets, meanwhile, reported that Israel had carried out a “rare” airstrike against a military shipment en route to Syria from Iran, according to the Hebrew-language media.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the attack targeted a convoy linked to pro-Iranian militias.
The strike unusually occurred during the hours of daylight - perhaps an indication of a sense of urgency to disrupt the convoy's mission.
3 View gallery
A car destroyed during an attack on pro-Iranian militias near the Iraq-Syria border in 2019
(Photo: Archive)
Ynet war correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai said that the attack was apparently carried out in order to stop a shipment of advanced weapons that passed from Iran to Syria through the Iraqi border town of Al-Qa'im.
Intelligence sources told Channel 12 television on Thursday that the aim of the latest strike was to destroy the weapons systems and send a message to Tehran that they are vulnerable to attack even in eastern Syria.
A large blast was reportedly heard following the strike, but other than damage to equipment, there were no reports of casualties.
Iraqi militias backed by Iran have been using the corridor between Iraq and Syria to deliver weapons.
The apparent strike came one month after a similar attack also attributed to Israel, which hit a convoy carrying what was described as "tie-breaking" weapons systems that was guarded by an Iranian force that included three senior commanders of the Iranian Quds Force.