Arab tribal militias opposing US-backed militias have taken control of a number of settlements on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, Rear Admiral Alexander Shcherbitsky, head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties (CPVS) in Syria, said.
“There has been an aggravation of the situation in the regions of the Deir Ez-Zor province not controlled by the government of the Syrian Arab Republic. A number of localities on the east bank of the Euphrates River have been taken under control by Arab tribal militias that have opposed US-backed militias and government agencies, ”he said.
A number of points on the east bank of the Euphrates were taken under control by local militias from the tribes.
According to the rear admiral, militants of terrorist organizations are shelling the positions of the government forces of Syria, and are making attempts to attack the Russian airbase “Khmeimim” using unmanned aerial vehicles and extended-range multiple launch rocket systems.
However, the main factor of social and political instability in the Syrian Trans-Euphrates, as Shcherbitsky said, is the illegal presence of the American military contingent in the region.
The CPVS said that, in accordance with the agreements concluded, they reserve the right to retaliate against terrorist militants if the actions pose a threat to the lives of Russian and Syrian military personnel and civilians in areas adjacent to the de-escalation zone.
On August 6, unidentified persons fired rockets at an illegal US military base in the Syrian province of Haseke. However, the Pentagon did not confirm this information.
American forces have been in Syria since 2012 without permission from official Damascus and the UN. At present, the military is concentrated in the provinces of Haseke and Deir ez-Zor near large oil fields.
The conflict in Syria has been going on since March 2011. In 2015, the Russian army, at the invitation of official Damascus, began to provide assistance in liberating the country’s territories from militants. Two years later, the Russian command announced the end of the active phase of the military operation. Currently, in a number of provinces of Syria, terrorists are being purged.