In Syria,  air strikes hit positions of pro-Iranian forces and allied militias in eastern Syria overnight, killing 18 fighters, a war monitor said today. It was not clear who carried out the raids in the region of Albu Kamal near the border with Iraq, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.<br />''<br />''The Britain-based Observatory, which has a vast network of contacts across Syria, said 18 fighters were killed, but their nationalities have not yet been determined. Albu Kamal lies in Deir Ezzor province which covers much of Syria's remote eastern desert. Control of the area is split between US-backed Kurdish fighters and groups aligned with the Damascus regime, which is supported by Iran and Russia.<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The Syrian conflict, which broke out in 2011,  leaved more than 370,000 people dead.</span><br />