DAMASCUS, July 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 people were killed and dozens of others wounded overnight by U.S.-led airstrikes in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour, state news agency SANA reported Friday.

The airstrikes targeted the residential areas in the towns of Baghour Foqani and Souseh on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River near Al-Bukamal city in eastern Deir al-Zour, it said.

The death toll was likely to rise as many of the wounded are in critical condition, it added.

Dozens of homes were destroyed in the towns, said SANA, accusing the U.S.-led coalition of attacking the towns to punish the local residents for refusing the entry of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The towns are located inside the small pocket controlled by the militant group Islamic State (IS) in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.

The Syrian government has repeatedly accused the United States of targeting civilians in Syria, while urging the UN to put an end to the coalition's military operations in Syria.

The U.S. coalition has been operating in Syria since 2014, supporting the Kurdish-led groups in northern Syria in the fight against IS.

The Syrian government, however, contended that the real goal of the coalition is to prolong the crisis in Syria as it uses IS as a pretext to further destabilize the country.