Eight members of the Syrian army were killed, and four others were injured in fierce clashes with ISIS cells in the “Dweizin” area of the eastern Salamiyah desert near the central city of Hama, Syria.
According to the Syrian newspaper “Al-Watan” in its issue released today, Thursday, a field source stated that “the clashes took place with ISIS on Tuesday night, resulting in the death of many members of the organization.”
The source clarified that “the army units intensified their ground operations yesterday, combing the desert sectors of the terrorist organization’s cells, while the joint Syrian and Russian warplanes raided ISIS positions in the areas of Sukhnah and Palmyra in the eastern Homs desert and in the western Deir Ezzor desert.
On Tuesday, ISIS targeted a military assembly in the same region, leading to the death of nine Syrian regime forces, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack also left three other members wounded. This recent surge of violence by ISIS members adds to a series of sporadic but lethal attacks in the region. Just earlier this month, on February 2, an offensive by the group in the Palmyra desert claimed the lives of at least five regime forces, underscoring the persistent threat ISIS poses despite its supposed defeat.
The U.S. military has been actively ramping up operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria to prevent the group from reconstituting itself. In January alone, the U.S.-led coalition and partner forces conducted 43 missions against ISIS, resulting in 11 operatives killed and another 227 detained. This increase in operations indicates a concerted effort to surpass the number of missions conducted in the previous year, highlighting the ongoing challenge ISIS poses to regional stability and security.
ISIS remains a potent force in Syria, demonstrating increased mobility and the ability to carry out lethal attacks against various targets, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and regime forces. The group’s operations have become more focused, utilizing small but organized fighting units for surprise attacks. Despite territorial losses, ISIS’s continued financial stability allows it to sustain military operations, posing a persistent threat in the region.
