A convoy of lorries coming from Iraq was attacked by drones in eastern Syria on Sunday night, opposition activists and a pro-government radio station have said.
"Seven truck drivers and their assistants, all of them non-Syrians, were killed as a result of unidentified aircraft targeting a convoy of Iran-backed groups last night," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The drones, believed to have been sent by the US-led coalition, struck six refrigerated lorries, the UK-based opposition war monitor said.
The attack was in the Syrian border region of Al Bukamal, a known stronghold of Iran-backed militias, in Deir Ezzor province. No group has yet claimed responsibility.
Omar Abu Layal, a European-based activist from Deir Ezzor who runs a group that monitors developments, said the drones struck an Iran-backed militia convoy.
The attack comes at a time of heightened tension between Iran and its rivals in the region.
The pro-government Sham FM radio station also reported that six refrigerated lorries were hit.
In Baghdad, an Iran-backed militia member confirmed there was a strike but said it only hit one lorry. He gave no word on casualties.
The attack in eastern Syria came hours after bomb-laden drones struck an Iranian defence factory in the central city of Isfahan, causing some damage to the plant.
Last month, Israel’s military chief of staff strongly suggested that Israel was behind a strike on a lorry convoy in Syria in November, giving a rare glimpse of the country's shadow war against Tehran and its proxies across the region.
Lt Gen Aviv Kochavi, who retired this month, said Israeli military and intelligence capabilities made it possible to strike specific targets that pose a threat.
Israeli leaders have, in the past, acknowledged striking hundreds of targets in Syria and elsewhere in what it says is a campaign to thwart Iranian attempts to smuggle weapons to militant proxies such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah or to destroy weapons caches.
The November strike hit fuel tankers and other lorries carrying weapons destined for militias in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ezzor, the Observatory reported at the time.
It said at least 14 people, most of them Iran-backed militiamen, were killed in the strike along the border with Iraq. Two paramilitary officers in Iraq confirmed that some of those killed in the attack were Iranian.
At the time, Israel declined to comment on the strike.
Iran is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and has sent thousands of fighters to help his forces during the country’s 11-year civil war.
Both Iran and the Assad administration are also allies of Hezbollah, which has fought alongside Syrian forces in the war.
Israel considers Iran to be its chief enemy and has issued a warning against what it views as its hostile activities in the region.
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
More on Quran memorisation:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
