Iranian-backed forces massing around Deir Ezzor city.
Late on March 22, a series of large explosions rocked a large base of Iranian-backed forces in the eastern Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The base, dubbed Imam Ali, occupies some 20 square kilometers to the southeast of the town of al-Bukamal in the southern Deir Ezzor countryside. It was reportedly established by the Quds Force, the external wing of Iran’s Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The SOHR said in its report that the explosions took place following drills by Iranian-backed forces and coincided with the flight of an unidentified drone over the base.
“No information about human losses has been received so far,” the London-based monitoring group said.
In the early morning, a series of Israeli strikes hit Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria, placing it out of service. Regional intelligence sources told the Reuters news agency that the target of the strikes was underground depots at the adjacent Nairab military airport, where Iranian-made missiles were stored.
The Syrian Arab News Agency didn’t report any explosions in Deir Ezzor. The state-run agency usually reports any strikes on Syrian territory within a few hours.
Imam Ali base has been targeted by Israel and the United States on several occasions since it was first established around four years ago.
The SOHR released many false reports about strikes on Syria over the years. The claims about explosions at Imam Ali base in Deir Ezzor are highly questionable as they are yet to be proved by material evidence, or verified by any neutral source.
