DAMASCUS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Over 30 people were killed on Monday by U.S.-led airstrikes on the northern city of Raqqa, pro-government al-Watan online newspaper reported.
The airstrikes targeted boats transporting civilians in the southern bank of the Euphrates River, said the report, adding that the strike hit before the Iftar time of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights placed the death toll at over 20.
On June 3, at least 43 civilians were killed by similar strikes on Raqqa, according to the state TV.
The rate of civilian causalities by U.S.-led airstrikes has increased recently as a result of the intensification of U.S. airstrikes on Raqqa, the de facto capital of the IS group, and other IS strongholds in northern and eastern Syria.
The Syrian government repeatedly denounced the attacks that target civilians, branding the operation of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition in Syria as "illegitimate."
