US Bombing of Syrian Troops Was A Willful Attack, MP Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The aerial bombardment of Syrian army forces near the city of Deir ez-Zor was a wanton act of aggression that, despite what Washington claims, was pre-planned, the Syrian city’s representative in the parliament said.
In an interview with the Tasnim News Agency on Sunday, Sattaam Mujhim al-Dandal slammed as a lie the US claim that the airstrikes on the Syrian military forces were a mistake.
US-led coalition jets on Saturday bombed Syrian government forces’ positions near the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, killing 62 troops and "paving the way" for Daesh militants, according to the Syrian Army General Command.
The strikes had been planned in advance, a clear sign of which is that the Daesh terrorists launched a major attack on the same region immediately after US action, the Syrian MP added.
Dandal further stressed that such brazen aggression against the Syrian troops proves that the US and its terrorist proxies do not favor a ceasefire in Syria.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, 62 Syrian soldiers were killed and over 100 injured in the airstrikes by the US-led coalition. It said the attacks were performed by two F-16 fighter jets and two A-10 support aircraft.
Russia has also confirmed that a Daesh offensive began right after Syrian Army positions were hit from the air.
The Syrian General Command has called the bombing a “serious and blatant aggression” against Syrian forces, and said it was "conclusive evidence" that the US and its allies support Daesh militants.
An unnamed US military official has also told Reuters that he was "pretty sure" that the targets hit in US-led coalition air strike on Saturday had been Syrian forces.
According to the official, the bombings in Deir ez-Zor were carried out using US intelligence, which was being gathered for days.