US airstrikes have hit Iranian-backed militia positions in eastern Syria's Deir ez-Zor province, amid growing tensions in the region and increasing efforts by the US and Kurdish forces to block transport corridors linking Iraq and Syria. The strikes appear to be part of a strategy to contain the influence of Iran and its proxies in the strategically important area.

Transportation routes between Iraq and Syria are key for Iranian-backed militias, who use them to move men, weapons, and equipment. Blocking these corridors would severely limit the options available to Iran and its allies in the region, consistent with long-term U.S. goals of containing Iranian influence in the Middle East.

According to local sources, the strikes hit convoys of equipment that had moved to help government troops. In addition, support was provided to Kurdish formations that had already occupied the Khusham pocket and were fully expecting to capture the largest cities on the other side of the Euphrates.

Kurdish forces backed by the American coalition have long been stepping up their activities in Deir ez-Zor, seeking to take control of important strategic territories. Blocking transport corridors could be a decisive step in their efforts to establish control over the border zone and weaken the position of the Syrian government and its Iranian allies.