Recent reinforcements from Iraq have arrived in the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal this weekend, and were attacked more or less immediately by Israeli warplanes, killing at least seven of them. The slain Iraqis were Shi’ite militia members, and Israeli media, in keeping with their coverage, labeled everyone “Iranian-backed.”
Israel hasn’t confirmed that they were behind this attack, though Israeli media outlets are treating that as presumptively the case. Israel attacks Syria often, and usually is targeting Shi’ite militias, so it is a safe guess.
The Iraq-Syria border was long controlled by ISIS, and Syria has sought help from Iraqi militia groups to maintain control over the area. So far, its just become another target for Israel, which has made targeting Shi’ites their focus.
Israeli officials have indicated that they intend to continue striking targets in Syria to force Iran out of the country. So far, neither Syria nor Iraq seems to be able to do anything to stop such attacks.
Israeli Strike Kills Seven Iraqi Fighters on Iraq-Syria Border
Israeli media brands slain 'Iranian-backed'
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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