DAMASCUS, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. airstrikes killed five members of Iran-backed militias and wounded several others in eastern Syria on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based monitoring group reported that U.S. warplanes targeted military gatherings in the Al-Quriyah desert of Deir ez-Zor province. It said the strikes came after a rocket believed to be fired by pro-Iran militiamen landed near a U.S. base in the countryside of al-Hasakah province in northeastern Syria.

Meanwhile, intermittent explosions of unknown origin were heard at a U.S. military base inside the al-Omar oil field base in Deir ez-Zor, the observatory said.

U.S. fighter jets were seen flying over several villages, reaching as far as the town of Mayadeen in Deir ez-Zor's countryside near the Iraqi border, according to the observatory.

There were no immediate reports of additional casualties.

The region has seen increased tensions between U.S. forces and Iran-backed groups, which have a significant presence in eastern Syria. Enditem

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