![A US Air Force trainer instructs an Iraqi Air Force (IAF) pilot, during a training mission, on one of the IAF's new F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft at the Tucson International Airport, USA, on December 16, 2014 [US Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jordan Castelan]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Iraqi_F-16-e1546344159829.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1)
Iraqi warplanes hit a meeting of Daesh leaders near Deir al-Zor in Syria on Monday, destroying the building they were gathered in, the military said in a statement reported by Reuters, without giving further details about the militants targeted.
The statement said F-16 fighter jets carried out the raid around al-Sousa village in eastern Syria, as “30 leaders from Daesh gangs” met in the building.
The strike came a day after Iraq’s government hinted at greater involvement for its armed forces in Syria as the US begins withdrawing troops from the country.
Iraq fears that Daesh militants in Syria will try to cross the border, and analysts warn of increasing insurgent-style attacks in both countries.
Baghdad has carried out several air raids in Syrian territory with the agreement of President Bashar al-Assad. Its army and Shia paramilitaries have reinforced at the border in recent months.