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DAMASCUS, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Sunday called for an international investigation into the "crimes" of the U.S.-led coalition, following a recent attack with white phosphorus in Deir al-Zour, said local news agency.

The ministry also called for ending the "aggressive" and "illegitimate" presence of the U.S. forces in Syria, said state news agency SANA.

"The use of internationally-prohibited weapons against the Syrian people is a flagrant violation of the international law and human rights," the ministry said.

The statement comes a few days after the U.S.-led coalition used white phosphorus ammunition while targeting the town of Hajin, one of the few Islamic State (IS)-held areas in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province.

The ministry said many people were killed or wounded in the attack.

The Syrian government has for long called for ending the presence of the U.S.-led coalition on Syrian soil.

The U.S. coalition has been backing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their push to defeat IS in towns in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.

The battles are hard as the IS militants resorted to several tactics to prevent the SDF from advancing through landmines and suicide bombings.