Suspected U.S. drone attack in E. Syria injures 2 Iran-affiliated fighters: war monitor

DAMASCUS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Two members of Iran-affiliated militias were seriously injured in an attack by a suspected U.S. drone strike in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour on Sunday, a war monitor reported.

The incident happened when a suspected U.S. drone struck an alleged weapon-laden truck of Iranian-backed militias that had crossed from Iraq into Syria on the road between the town of Al-Ghbeira and Al-Hamdan airport in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based war monitor said the injured people were taken to the hospital for treatment amid the militias' heightened security measures.

Following the drone attack, the militias redeployed and canceled a training course at one of their camps near the Al-Hamdan Airport.

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, Iran-affiliated militias have increased their attacks on U.S. bases in Syria in retaliation for the U.S. backing of Israel. According to the war monitor, the number of such attacks has reached nearly 80 times.