Airwars assessment
On Friday March 24th, at 8:05 am, an Iranian militia allegedly launched rockets at Coalition forces at “Green Village,” an American base near al-Omar oil field east of Deir Ezzor. According to CENTCOM, the rockets missed the Coalition facility by approximately 5 km. Instead, they reportedly hit a house in Dhiban and injured two women and two children. There was no information published on the injured civilians.
CENTCOM released a statement that “On the morning of March 24th, at approximately 8:05 a.m. Syrian local time, 10 rockets targeted coalition forces at the Green Village in northeast Syria. The attack resulted in no injuries to U.S. or coalition personnel and no damage to U.S. equipment or facilities. One of the rockets missed the facility by almost five kilometers, striking a civilian house, causing significant damage and causing minor injuries to two women and two children.”
The correspondent of “Ain al-Furat” network, quoted by Eye of Euphrates, reported that Iranian militias fired seven missiles toward the American base in two waves, however they instead hit civilian homes in the town of Dhiban. Eye of Euphrates mentioned that there was “inaccurate information” regarding civilian casualties, and no other sources reported on civilian casualties.
The rocket fire was the latest response in what was ostensibly a tit for tat exchange. The rockets were launched in retaliation for US raids which were prompted in turn by a militia attack on a base in al-Hasakah. The militia attack left an American contractor dead and wounded five military personnel. Kurdistan 24 reported that the US military claimed responsibility for drone strikes targeting groups allied with Iran which it accused of launching the drone against the base in al-Hasakah at 13:38 on Thursday the 23rd.
Eye of Euphrates correspondents reported that Iranian militia have “mobilized their forces in the city and its countryside and evacuated most of their military headquarters while leaving some guards, as the militia leaders went to hide among the homes of the civilians”. They pinpointed militia leader movements to Al-Arbaeen Street in the city center and the Afghan “Fatemiyoun Brigade” militia to trenches and tunnels in Al-Haidariyeh area. Baladi corroborated this information, additionally noting that military sites at Al-Bukamal were evacuated. Militia casualties were treated at Al-Shifa Hospital, Al-Mayadeen and were brought in three ambulances.
The incident occured at 08:05:00 local time.