US-led international coalition conducts air assault northeast of Deir ez-Zor

On October 21 evening, coalition forces led by the United States conducted an air assault in the village of Al-Qassar, northeast of Deir ez-Zor, involving helicopters, fighter jets, and drones.

According to Syria.tv, coalition forces raided several houses in the village, warning residents via loudspeakers to remain indoors during the operation.

The nature of the targets and the outcome of the raid remain unknown.

The US-led coalition, comprising over 80 members including the UK, France, and Jordan, has intensified targeted raids and airstrikes in Syria throughout 2025, focusing on ISIS sleeper cells, foreign fighters, and Iranian proxies amid the power vacuum following the December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. CJTF-OIR reported over 200 operations from January to October 2025, resulting in 150+ ISIS militants killed or detained, though civilian casualty claims persist in 10–15% of incidents per Airwars monitoring. These actions support the SDF, which controls northeast Syria's oil-rich regions, while countering HTS-led transitional governance challenges in Damascus.

In recent months, operations have yielded mixed outcomes: high-value captures bolster counterterrorism, but some raids have sparked local backlash, including SDF clashes with Arab tribes. The Al-Qassar raid echoes patterns in Deir ez-Zor, where coalition forces have conducted 50+ actions since July 2025, often at night to minimise risks.

By Khagan Isayev