Massive explosions rock base housing US occupation troops in Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr

A military base in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr used by American troops and their allied Takfiri militants has been hit by a series of large explosions, a week after an attack on the al-Tanf base housing US forces in southeastern Syria.

Sabereen News, a Telegram news channel associated with Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units, better known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, reported that four blasts were heard at the US base inside the Conoco gas field on Saturday evening.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions. No American troops stationed at the base were apparently injured or killed.

This is the latest in series of attacks on US-run military bases in the eastern half of Syria.

The Conoco base, where Kurdish militants with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are also stationed, last came under attack in July with mortar shells and rockets. No reports of casualties or material damage emerged in the aftermath of that attack.

On October 20, the US-run al-Tanf base in southern Syria was hit by drones and rockets, in an attack that Pentagon spokesman John Kirby described as “complex, coordinated and deliberate.”

United States officials said they believe the attack on al-Tanf involved as many as five drones laden with explosive charges, and that they hit both the US side of al-Tanf base and the side where US-backed militants reside.

Bomb fragments had also been found in areas where US forces had been sleeping and stationing.

The US military trains anti-Damascus militants at al-Tanf base, which is situated near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan. 

US occupation forces continue to smuggle Syrian oil to Iraq: SANA

Senior US officials admit that oil was the main reason that kept American troops in Syria.

Washington has unilaterally declared a 55-kilometer “de-confliction zone” around the facility, and frequently threatened to target Syrian forces within the area.

Syria air defenses down two missiles fired by Israel

Meanwhile, the Russian military says Syrian air defense units have successfully intercepted and shot down two missiles launched by Israeli aircraft at military facilities near the capital, Damascus.

“On October 30, four F-16 tactical fighter jets of the Israeli air force launched eight Delilah guided missiles between 12:25 p.m. local time (0925 GMT) and 12:28 p.m. at Syrian air defense facilities west and northwest of Damascus,” Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy head of Russia’s Reconciliation Center for Syria, told reporters on Saturday.

He added that Russian-made Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile systems, which are in service with the Syrian Armed Forces, destroyed two missiles at the time.

Kulit added, “The Israeli strike left minor damage at the targeted sites. Two servicemen of the Syrian Armed Forces were also wounded as a result.”

Syria says air defenses repelled daytime Israeli aggression on Damascus countryside

Syria says its air defenses have intercepted missiles fired from the direction of Israeli-occupied territories at Damascus countryside.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.

Israel frequently targets military positions inside Syria, especially those of the resistance movement Hezbollah which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against the foreign-backed terrorists.

The Tel Aviv regime mostly keeps quiet about its attacks on Syrian territories which many view as knee-jerk reaction to Syrian government’s increasing success in confronting terrorism.

Israel has been a main supporter of terrorist groups that have opposed the government of President Bashar al-Assad since foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria more than a decade ago.

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