Another Airstrike Hits Albukamal Days Before Border Crossing Opens

Another 'airstrike' on Syria’s Albukamal days before border crossing open

BY SETH J. FRANTZMAN

 

Israel has said it opposes Iran’s presence in Syria. Yet Iran has increased that presence and transfers of precision missile technology to Hezbollah are alleged.

Syrian air defenses responded to an alleged airstrike on the Iraq-Syrian border town of Albukamal just after midnight on Saturday. It is the latest of several airstrikes reported in the same vicinity that are alleged to have struck Iranian-backed groups or bases linked to Iran. 

Albukamal is a key strategic crossing between Iraq and Syria and could be conduit for weapons trafficking from Iranian-backed groups to Hezbollah or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria. 

The raids were first reported by Arabic media, particularly Russia’s Sputnik in Arabic. The report claimed that local sources had said missiles were fired at Albukamal and air defense responded, hitting some of them. 

September was a hot month in the border town. On September 3 Fox News reported, based on Image Sat International images, that Iran was building a new base at the site. This followed reports in May that Iran was seeking to upgrade the crossing. On September 9 airstrikes ripped apart some of the buildings at the alleged Iranian base in Albukamal. Satellite images from Image Sat International showed the results. Nine fortified storehouses were destroyed. On September 24 Image Sat International again showed images of the “Iranian border crossing under intense construction.”

The overall picture at Albukamal is that the crossing is proceeding despite the strikes.

Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) which are mostly Shi’ite militias who have been incorporated into the Iraqi Security Forces. These forces were supposed to be fighting ISIS, but when the ISIS war mostly ended in 2017 some of them began to go to Syria to support the Syrian regime in Damascus. They are now thought to form a “land bridge” or “road to the sea” for Iran and its regional ambitions.

When the Al-Qaim border crossing with Albukamal finally opens it will be a major symbol and it will also likely lead to increased attention about what is crossing there. But it will also mean that more civilians will be intermixed with any military equipment that might be rolling across. If that happens airstrikes could become more difficult. So far they’ve generally targeted areas outside the town, with few photos emerging to verify that the strikes took place, except the satellite photos. Casualties among the militias or alleged Iranian presence have been low. And the airstrikes usually take place at night when people are sleeping.