Arab and Iranian newspapers reported late Sunday night that a convoy of trucks crossing the border between Iraq and Syria was attacked by fighter jets. According to various reports, these were refrigerated trucks belonging to the pro-Iranian militias that operate in Syria and Lebanon. The attack took place near the town of Al-Bukamal, in the Deir Ez-Zor district. The various media outlets emphasized that the attack occurred only after the convoy of trucks crossed from Iraq to Syrian territory.
The Al-Arabiya network reported that at least three loud explosions were heard in the area. "It was a convoy of 25 trucks, which moved into Syrian territory," it was reported. "The planes that attacked fired a warning shot at the convoy so that the drivers would run away, after which the convoy was attacked."
Confirmed:
— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) January 30, 2023
This video footage, claimed by many to be from Mahabad in western #Iran, has nothing to do with Mahabad.
This is from Al Bukamal in eastern Syria following an airstrike targeting a convoy of 25 trucks carrying weapons from Iran to Lebanon.pic.twitter.com/j3jfGIdl7s
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, drones that appeared to belong to the American forces nearby were observed in the area of the attack. Although Israeli involvement has not been reported yet, the border area between Iraq and Syria is known to have been patrolled by Israeli fighter jets in the past.
The human rights organization further noted that six trucks from the convoy were carrying weapons and were destroyed in the attack, adding that "whoever was in them was injured."
As mentioned in the latter, the attack has not been attributed to Israel, but it is an area where the Israeli Air Force is known to have operated more than once in recent years. Just last December, the Chief of Staff at the time, Aviv Kochavi, confirmed in his own words that Israel attacked a convoy of 25 trucks in the same area of the Syria-Iraq border in November. "We could not have known a few weeks ago about the Syrian convoy crossing from Iraq to Syria," he said. We could have not known that out of 25 trucks, this is the truck. Truck number 8 is the truck with the ammunition.”
A unknown truck convoy carrying alleged #Iranian #ammunition was hit by unidentified aircraft near Abu Kamal. Dozens of trucks were destroyed. #Syrian #Iran pic.twitter.com/1h8aFz8UOP
— Noel Bachmann (@Bachman2012) January 29, 2023
Kochavi noted that even after the truck was identified, "the pilots need to be sent there, they need to know how to avoid the surface-to-air missiles. Make no mistake there are operatives who fire 30 or 40 surface-to-air missiles at them, at the peak, there were 70. They need to attack, they need to hit and return. They should also in some attacks not kill those who don't need to be killed. These are all very advanced capabilities."
