US-led coalition targets Syrian military positions in desert region

The US-led warplanes struck two Syrian military positions in the desert region in eastern Syria on early Thursday, the War Media of the Syrian army and its allies reported.

The strikes targeted the military positions in the vicinity of the T-2 oil station in the southern countryside of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, said the report.

The report gave no further details, but a source familiar with the situation told Xinhua that the attack happened at 00:50am on Thursday (2150 GMT, Wednesday), adding that no information on losses are available yet.

The overnight attack came as activists reported shelling between the Syrian army and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the countryside of Deir al-Zour on Wednesday.

According to earlier reports, the United States and Israel have struck several Syrian military positions recently, targeting areas where Iranian military experts are located.

These escalations are part of the tension between the Syrian government and its Iranian allies on one side and the United States and Israel on the other side.

President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that some international parties, meaning the West, which are "separated from reality when it comes to approaching the situation in Syria are an obstacle to any breakthrough in the political track."

He further urged such parties to show a minimum amount of political realism, halt the support for terrorism and embrace political work.

He made the remarks when meeting with visiting Russian presidential envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev.

The attack early Thursday came as Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Russia's Sputnik news service that the withdrawal of Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group from Syria is not on the discussion agenda, as those forces have come to Syria upon the invitation of the government.