US-led airstrikes in Syria's Deir Al Zor province reprotedly killed four soldiers of the Syrian army, in what could raise fresh tensions between the Russia-backed Syrian government and the US coalition.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring agency reporting on bombings and crimes in Syria, said that at least four Syrian soldiers were killed in the air strike believed to have been conducted by the US-led coalition, Reuters reported.
The strike took place "around two kilometres from an area controlled by the Islamic State group", the monitoring group said.
Russia's Sputnik International said that four Syrian army personnel were killed and two tanks and an ammunition depot were destroyed in the strike.
However, the US coalition denied that its strikes hit the Syrian army base, AFP reported.
The incident will likely see an angry reaction from Moscow, that has backed the Bashar Assad government in conducting airstrikes in Syria against Isis targets, especially since the US and other western nations have repeatedly accused Russia of deliberately targeting Syrian rebels trained and equipped by the US.
The US coalition has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State since last year, while Russia began its operations on 30 September this year.
On Sunday, the US coalition conducted more than 15 airstrikes on the Raqqa province and in northern and eastern Syria, while Russian jets hit the city of Palmyra with multiple strikes, Reuters reported.
Deir Al Zor is located in eastern Syria.
