Horror in Syria: seven dead in a drone attack on an arms factory

Seven people died this Wednesday in a drone attack on a weapons factory belonging to Iranian-backed factions in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).

The information released did not clarify who was behind the attack in Deir Ezzor province, where Iranian-backed factions have influence and where a US-Israeli-led coalition has carried out attacks in the past.

“Seven people died and 15 were injured in a drone strike on an arms factory and a truck loaded with weapons,” both belonging to Iranian-backed groups, said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the London-based OSDH and has a large network of whistleblowers in Syria.

Three pro-Iranian fighters from Afghanistan, three Syrian civilians and an unidentified Syrian were killed, Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding that the attacked building was recently converted into an arms factory.

Israel has carried out repeated air and missile strikes against government forces and their Iranian-backed allies in Syria since the civil war erupted in 2011.

A few days ago protests took place in Israel due to an initiative by the Netanyahu government for judicial reform, extended to the military sectors.

Hundreds of soldiers in the military reserves have signed letters expressing their reluctance to participate in non-essential missions or have already withdrawn from training missions, according to authorities.

What worries the most is the malaise in the Air Force, where the pilots on reserve duty are increasingly upset from government plans, according to officials.

Reserve service pilots typically lead Israel’s regular airstrikes against Syria and the Gaza Strip and would take part in any major Israeli strikes against nuclear facilities in Iran.

Wednesday’s attack targeted a part of Deir Ezzor that houses the residences of senior Iranian commanders and top officials of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, as well as an Iranian hospital for cholera patients, Abdel Rahman said.