A US Air Force A-10C “Warthog” Thunderbolt II Close-Air Support Aircraft has been filmed flying low and doing strafing runs over eastern Syria as fighting has broken out there in the wake of the fall of Aleppo to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists.
It appears that US-backed “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) are clashing with pro-Syrian forces, including possibly the Syrian Army and allied militias, some of which have been pouring across the border from Iraq.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has yet to confirm anything, but one independent geopolitical news source writes, “US Air Force (USAF) A-10 Warthog combat jets were purportedly deployed in Syria to conduct airstrikes against Iran-linked militias that entered Syria to fight the rebels that have launched a fresh offensive against Bashar al-Assad regime.” A Pentagon official has said that at least one airstrike took place “in self defense”.
And Fox News Pentagon correspondent Lucas Thomlinson has posted the below footage from Deir Ezzor…
The original source, an analyst who closely watches eastern Syria, wrote: “U.S. airstrikes target positions of Iran-backed militias in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.”
U.S. Air Force A-10 over eastern Syriapic.twitter.com/iuR3CwAvaK
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) December 3, 2024
The Pentagon is perhaps reluctant to comment, also just ahead of the new Trump administration taking office in January, given the fact that it’s waging a war in Syria – including the deployment of warplanes – with no Congressional debate or approval whatsoever.
We detailed earlier that on Monday a Syrian army officer told Reuters that Iraqi militia forces crossing the border are “fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the frontlines in the north.”
More footage (unverified) reportedly from along the Euphrates River in the Deir Ezzor area:
A U.S. Air Force A-10C “Warthog” Close-Air Support Aircraft seen operating to the North of Deir ez-Zur in Eastern Syria, as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue to advance against Assad Regime and Iranian-Backed Forces along the Euphrates River. pic.twitter.com/NYvYTmQRtp
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 3, 2024
Many of the fighters have been identified as belonging to the Kataib Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun groups. The US has long been in an internecine conflict with Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, with over the years periodic rocket fire even targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad, as well as various bases which host remaining American troops.
These forces have been fully aware that the Pentagon could attack their convoys at any moment, and so have reportedly been crossing the border in small groups and using concealed roads.
“At least 300 fighters, primarily from the Badr and Nujabaa groups, crossed late on Sunday using a dirt road to avoid the official border crossing, two Iraqi security sources said, adding that they were there to defend a Shi’ite shrine,” Reuters reports. Clearly the Pentagon is now getting more deeply involved in the current regional fighting, after having occupied oil and gas areas of northeast Syria for years.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/03/2024 – 20:30
