Syria's foreign ministry accused the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State inside Syria of firing nine missiles at a Syrian government camp in eastern Deir al-Zour province on Sunday night, killing three Syrian troops and wounding 13 others. "The Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns this flagrant aggression by the U.S.-led coalition forces, which blatantly violates the objectives of the UN Charter," the foreign ministry said, adding that "aggression hinders the efforts to fight terrorism, and proves that the U.S.-led coalition lacks seriousness and credibility to effectively fight terrorism".
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group agreed that the Saeqa camp near the town of Ayyash had been hit by somebody, putting the death toll at four, but the U.S. coalition denied conducting any airstrikes in the area. "We've seen those Syrian reports but we did not conduct any strikes in that part of Deir al-Zour yesterday," said Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad. The closest coalition aircraft came to the Saeqa camp was an oilfield wellhead 34 miles away, he added. "There were no human beings in the area that we struck yesterday." Deir al-Zour is mostly controlled by ISIS. If the U.S.-led coalition did hit Syrian forces, it would be the first time since coalition aircraft started bombing raids in Syria.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Kim Kardashian's Met Gala corset: designed for drama but a step too far?In The Spotlight Reality TV star shocks with 'impossibly tiny waist' at this year's fashion event, echoing controversies from previous outfits
-
The Buddha of Suburbia: an 'orgiastic odyssey'The Week Recommends Emma Rice brings Hanif Kureishi's 1990 novel to the stage
-
'US tests ties with Israelis'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostagesSpeed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
-
Nato official warns of all-out war with Russia in next 20 yearsSpeed Read Civilians must prepare for life-changing conflict and mass mobilisation, says military chief
-
Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv to announce £2.5 billion in military support for UkraineSpeed Read Surprise trip comes amid increased Russian bombardment and escalation of Middle East crisis
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Israel preparing to flood Hamas tunnels with seawaterSpeed Read IDF pumps could drive out terrorists but critics warn of danger to hostages and Gaza water supply
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
