Syria: US-Iran clash over oil-rich areas

Bloody clashes between the US and Iran’s proxies have occurred in oil-rich Deir ez-Zur, where both have a strategic existence, The New Khalij reported on Friday.

Deir ez-Zur is the largest city in eastern Syria and the seventh largest in the war-torn country. It is located 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast of Damascus, with the Euphrates River passing through it.

The Syrian regime, backed by Iran and its proxies and the US and its proxies, have allegedly been fighting Daesh in the area.

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US forces and their allies, mainly the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are stationed in two large oil fields on the eastern side of the province. The regime and its allies, including Iranian units, are stationed in Deir ez-Zur, the region’s capital.

The US, which has 900 soldiers in the province, claims that they are there to ensure that Daesh is completely defeated. However, since 2017, sporadic clashes with the forces backed by Iran and the US forces and their allies have erupted.

The clashes started with an alleged attack by an Iranian drone on the US base, Al-Tanf, on the border that links Syria, Iran and Jordan. US fighter jets then responded to the attack near the base. Accordingly, the factions, backed by Iran, launched attacks, and the US responded, resulting in an endless vicious circle of attacks and responses.

In 2011, Syrians took to the streets calling for dictator Bashar Al-Assad to step down, but he met the peaceful protests with extreme force.

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Over the course of ten years, 12 million Syrians have been forced to flee the conflict and leave their homes behind, often multiple times, resulting in the biggest displacement crisis of the century.

Official statistics estimated the number of Syrians killed since 2011 at over 400,000, and some statistics raised the number to 500,000.

A significant part of Syria’s infrastructure has also been destroyed, and Syria’s relatively functional health system has been devastated.