Syrian Arab Tribes Attack US-Backed Kurdish Forces in Deir Ezzor

On Wednesday, Arab tribesmen launched a major attack on the US-backed Kurdish SDF in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, and reports say US helicopters helped defend the Kurdish forces.

According to Turkey’s Daily Sabah, the Arab tribes attacked seven villages, including Dhiban, which is only a few kilometers from the al-Omar oil field that houses SDF fighters and US troops.

Local residents told Sputnik that at least three civilians were killed and seven more were injured during the fighting. The SDF and Arab tribes also suffered casualties, but the number is unclear.

The operation was the most significant attack since heavy fighting between the Arab tribes and the SDF broke out in August 2023, which lasted several months.

The SDF said in a statement: “In the late hours of yesterday evening and continuing into this morning, Syrian regime-backed mercenaries and groups of the so-called National Defense Forces launched a ground attack against areas on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, east of Deir Ezzor.”

Al Mayadeen reported that during the clashes, US helicopters used machine guns to target Arab tribesmen along the bank of the Euphrates River in Dhiban. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that US aircraft used machine guns against the western bank of the Euphrates.

In Deir Ezzor, the US and the SDF occupy areas to the east of the Euphrates, and the Syrian government controls the territory on the west side of the river. The US has about 900 US troops in Syria and reportedly reinforced its base at the al-Omar oil field during the clashes.

The attack comes as the region is on edge and expecting an Iranian reprisal attack against Israel for the killing of Hamas’s political chief in Tehran. The US is vowing to defend Israel, and its bases in Syria could also come under attack if Iran’s operation is coordinated with its Shia allies in the region.