Updated

A Syrian war monitoring group says at least eight Hezbollah fighters have been killed in a drone strike in the eastern Syrian desert.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday a drone of unknown affiliation struck a position of the Lebanese militant group, which is fighting alongside government forces.

A Hezbollah official confirmed the attack but could not confirm the toll. The official was not authorized to speak to the media so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hezbollah and other pro-government forces are battling the Islamic State group in eastern Syria.