Coalition forces have information that Syria is shipping military equipment, including night vision goggles, to Iraq, US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon briefing on Friday.

"These deliveries pose a direct threat to the lives of coalition forces. We consider such trafficking as hostile acts and will hold the Syrian government accountable for such shipments," he said.

Referring to the Badr Corps, the defence secretary said that hundreds of Iraqi rebels, backed by the Iranian government, have been seen coming into Iraq.

"The Badr Corps is trained, equipped and directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard and we will hold the Iranian government responsible for their actions..." Rumsfeld said.

"Armed Badr Corps members found in Iraq will have to be treated as combatants," he said.