The 210-meter (689ft) long bridge near the city of Deir Ez-Zor was built by the Russian military last September to move troops to the eastern bank controlled by rebel forces allied with the US-led coalition.
The Russian Defense Ministry-affiliated Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper reported that Euphrates waters suddenly rose by several meters on January 6, causing the current to gain in speed significantly.
"As a result, the bridge was destroyed the next day," the paper reported. "An investigation by Syrian experts found that the abrupt rise in water level was caused by the intentional opening of floodgates at the Tabqa Dam in the territory held by groups controlled by the US-led ‘international coalition’."
The Syrian Democratic Forces, predominately consist of Kurdish fighters, but also include members of the Syrian Arab Coalition. Earlier, Washington confirmed it has been arming the forces, noting that the weapons were provided for the offensive to liberate Raqqa from Daesh.
