ISIS militants carried out a deadly assault on Friday, targeting three military positions in the Syrian desert and killing at least 15 Syrian pro-government fighters, according to reports from a war monitoring group.
The attack, the latest in a series of similar incidents by remnants of the extremist group, occurred in the eastern Homs countryside, leading to armed clashes between the militants and the government forces.
Back in 2014, ISIS had seized control over significant portions of Syria and Iraq, establishing a self-proclaimed caliphate and instigating widespread terror.
Although the group was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, its remnants persist in launching lethal attacks, especially targeting pro-government forces and Kurdish-led fighters across the vast desert regions.
In a separate incident last month, ISIS militants claimed the lives of 28 Syrian soldiers and affiliated pro-government fighters in attacks on government-held areas.
Among the victims were members of the Quds Brigade, a faction consisting of Palestinian fighters backed by Moscow’s ally, Damascus.
The extremists’ onslaught included firing on a military bus in eastern Homs province, resulting in casualties, as well as an attack on a base in eastern Syria that claimed the lives of six Syrian soldiers.
Amidst the backdrop of Syria’s prolonged conflict, which has caused immense human suffering and displacements since its eruption in 2011, ISIS’s actions continue to add to the country’s turmoil.
The extremist group’s attacks are not limited to military targets but also extend to civilian activities, like hunting for desert truffles, a valuable commodity in the region.
The Observatory reported an incident where ISIS militants killed truffle hunters by detonating a bomb as their vehicle passed through Raqa province in northern Syria.
In another development, Syria’s defense ministry disclosed that eight soldiers sustained injuries in Israeli airstrikes near Damascus earlier.
Reports suggested that Israel had targeted a government building in the Damascus countryside utilized by Hezbollah since 2014.
The Israeli military’s frequent strikes in Syria, launched primarily against army positions and Iran-backed fighters since the onset of the civil war, underscore the complex web of conflicts that have engulfed the region.
