A convoy of at least three Iranian food trucks, loaded with flour and rice, were targeted in unidentified drone strikes on the Syrian-Iraqi border during the late hours of 29 January, sources told media.

Three Iranian trucks loaded with flour and rice were targeted near the Iraqi-Syrian border.@AlMayadeenLive pic.twitter.com/OykOZHI3MJ

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) January 29, 2023

The trucks were targeted as they were moving towards Syrian territory from Iraq, sources said, adding that the strikes resulted in material damages but no casualties.

According to reports, these trucks were attempting to legally enter the country through the Al-Bukamal border crossing. Just less than one week ago, it was announced that commercial trucks would be permitted to pass through the border from Syria to Iraq and vice versa for the first time since 2019.

Sources confirmed to Al-Mayadeen that the convoy did “not carry any weapons and … officially crossed the Al-Bukamal crossing,” contradicting reports which said that a convoy of refrigerated trucks carrying weapons and manned by ‘Iran-backed militias’ was targeted. According to the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), and other outlets, “seven truck drivers and their assistants, all of them non-Syrians, were killed.” Israeli media outlets made similar claims.

SOHR also said that the strikes coincided with air patrols carried out by US coalition drones.

The Al-Bukamal border crossing has been open since 2019 for travel and commerce, despite the closure of the other border crossings between the two countries. Dozens of trucks pass through this crossing on a daily basis, including food and aid trucks, as well as oil tankers, aimed at alleviating the severe shortages caused by the illegal US sanctions and economic warfare against Syria and Lebanon.

On 9 November 2022, large explosions rocked the outskirts of the Al-Bukamal area following airstrikes near the Syrian-Iraqi border. Israel’s chief of staff at the time, Aviv Kochavi, admitted during a press conference around a month later that Tel Aviv was behind the attack.

Former Israeli air force general and military intelligence chief, Amos Yadlin, said in reference to yesterday’s attack: “We all understand that there is a whole plan to stop the transfer of advanced weapons from Iran to Hezbollah. This attack proves that there is very accurate intelligence and there is an ability to operate in very remote places.”