Death toll from U.S. airstrikes in Syria rises to 23

The death toll from U.S. airstrikes on areas controlled by the Syrian government forces and Iranian militias in eastern Syria has risen to 23, a war monitor reported on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 13 fighters, nine of whom were from Syria, were killed in the city of al-Mayadeen, Deir al-Zour Province. The rest of the victims were reported in the namesake provincial capital of Deir al-Zour.

The United States on Friday carried out airstrikes against Iranian forces in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Jan. 28.

The Iranian-backed fighters, who have intensified their drone attacks on U.S. interests in Syria against the backdrop of the U.S. support for Israel in the Gaza conflict, were blamed for the killing of the U.S. soldiers.

Now, cautious calm prevails in the areas controlled by the Syrian forces and Iranian militias in Deir al-Zour and its countryside, following intense U.S. airstrikes that targeted 27 locations, said the observatory.

The Britain-based watchdog said cars belonging to the Iranian militias have been deployed in the targeted areas, all the way to the Syrian-Iraqi border, passing through the cities of al-Bukamal and al-Mayadeen.

It added that the Iranian militias are on high alert, repositioning and evacuating several sites out of concern for further strikes in the coming hours.

Meanwhile, the observatory said it found U.S. drones conducting intense surveillance over the skies of al-Bukamal on Saturday.

For their part, Iranian militias have imposed a security cordon on the sites targeted by the U.S. airstrikes. According to the observatory, the militias are currently barring cars and pedestrians from approaching these sites.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Saturday lashed out at the U.S. administration for its attacks in eastern Syria, accusing Washington of being a primary source of global instability.

In a statement, the ministry said the U.S. military are threatening international security and peace by launching attacks on nations, peoples, and sovereignty, and escalating conflicts in the Middle East.