Air strikes kill 19 Iran-backed fighters in Syria

Air strikes likely carried out by Israel killed at least 19 pro-Iran militia fighters in war-torn eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.

The early morning strikes hit positions of Iran-backed militias outside the town of Albu Kamal in Deir Ezzor province, killing mostly foreign fighters, the Observatory said.

Israel rarely acknowledges individual strikes but the Observatory has accused it of launching two other aerial attacks against pro-Iran forces in Syria since Saturday.