Regime forces have ousted Isil from Al-Sukhna, the last jihadist-held town in Homs province.

A commando operation backed by Russian warplanes and helicopters has killed 25 members of the Islamic State jihadist group in central Syria.

Supported by regime ally Russia, Syria's army has waged a months-long offensive to recapture the vast desert region that stretches from the country's centre to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders. </s> A commando operation backed by Russian warplanes and helicopters has killed 25 members of the Islamic State jihadist group in central Syria, a monitor said Sunday.

Supported by regime ally Russia, Syria's army has waged a months-long offensive to recapture the vast desert region that stretches from the country's centre to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

On Saturday, "25 IS members were killed and others wounded in a commando operation by Syrian regime forces with air support from Russian warplanes and helicopters" in the northeast of Homs province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Six members of the regime forces were also killed, it said.

A military source said the operation occurred "20 kilometres inside Daesh (IS) terrorist lines".

The raid allowed regime forces to seize control of three villages in the area, official news agency SANA reported the source as saying.

The army has captured swathes of territory from the jihadists in the province. According to the Observatory, IS now controls just dozens of villages in the east of Homs.

The Syrian "Badiya" is a large stretch of desert that extends over around 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 square miles) of territory.

Since 2015, much of the Badiya has been held by IS, but Syria's army has been chipping away at it since May.

Regime forces have ousted IS from Al-Sukhna, the last jihadist-held town in Homs province.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are also fighting the jihadists in the south of neighbouring Raqa province.

A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance meanwhile is battling to retake the provincial capital, Raqa city, from IS.

The jihadists also hold the majority of the vast desert province of Deir Ezzor including most of its provincial capital.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests. </s> Beirut (AFP) - A commando operation backed by Russian warplanes and helicopters has killed 25 members of the Islamic State jihadist group in central Syria, a monitor said Sunday.

Supported by regime ally Russia, Syria's army has waged a months-long offensive to recapture the vast desert region that stretches from the country's centre to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

On Saturday, "25 IS members were killed and others wounded in a commando operation by Syrian regime forces with air support from Russian warplanes and helicopters" in the northeast of Homs province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Six members of the regime forces were also killed, it said.

A military source said the operation occurred "20 kilometres inside Daesh (IS) terrorist lines".

The raid allowed regime forces to seize control of three villages in the area, official news agency SANA reported the source as saying.

The army has captured swathes of territory from the jihadists in the province. According to the Observatory, IS now controls just dozens of villages in the east of Homs.

The Syrian "Badiya" is a large stretch of desert that extends over around 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 square miles) of territory.

Since 2015, much of the Badiya has been held by IS, but Syria's army has been chipping away at it since May.

Last week, the Observatory said regime forces had ousted IS from Al-Sukhna, the last jihadist-held town in Homs province.

Syria's army and Russia this weekend confirmed its full recapture.

"The liberation of Al-Sukhna from IS terrorists opens up possibilities for Syrian government forces to launch an assault and free the city of Deir Ezzor," a Russian army statement said.

The jihadists hold the majority of the vast desert province of Deir Ezzor including most of its provincial capital.

The recapture of Deir Ezzor "would largely -- if not completely -- mark the end of the fight against IS," Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Sunday told the Russia 24 television channel.

Regime forces have more than doubled the territory they control in Syria over the past two months, he said.

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Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are also fighting the jihadists in the south of neighbouring Raqa province.

A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance meanwhile is battling to retake the provincial capital, Raqa city, from IS.

The jihadists also hold the majority of the vast desert province of Deir Ezzor including most of its provincial capital.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests. </s> ISIL fighters shot down a Syrian military plane in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Az Zor, the group's Amaq news agency reported on Sunday.

"A Syrian warplane belonging to the Syrian regime was brought down when targeted by fighters from the Islamic State in the city of Deir al-Zor," Amaq said in an online statement.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict now in its sixth year, said the pilot of the MiG Syrian warplane was killed.

US air raid on Syrian army post sparks Russia tension

Earlier in the day, Syrian state news agency SANA reported that government troops had regained territory in the eastern province lost to fighters affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) "as a result of the American aircraft aggression".

The US military said it may have unintentionally struck Syrian troops while carrying out a raid against ISIL in Deir Az Zor on Saturday.

Russia's military said it was told by the Syrian army that at least 62 soldiers were killed and more than 100 wounded in the raid in the Jabal Tharda area of Deir Az Zor.

The Observatory said on Sunday the plane came down in the same area, which overlooks the government's Deir Az Zor military airport.

The city's airport and some government-held districts have been entirely surrounded by ISIL since last year, with the airport providing the only external access.

Heavy air strikes over the past 24 hours have hit ISIL-controlled areas near Deir Az Zor city, according to the Observatory and Syrian state media. </s> The Syrian army and allies managed on Friday night to carry out a quality operation by landing troops behind the lines of ISIL terrorists in Badiya, a desert that extends over some 90,000 square kilometers from central Syria to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

The Syrian army and allies advanced 20 kilometers in Kadeir village on Homs-Raqqa border, killing a large number of ISIL terrorists and destroying their tanks and booby-trapped vehicles.

More Details Appear About Tiger Forces Airlanding Operation Behind ISIS Lines (Video, Photos)

Few minutes ago the Syrian media released more info about the Tiger Forces landing operation behind ISIS lines in the province of Raqqah reported earlier today.

According to the report, government troops led by Tiger Forces Commander Suheil al-Hassan were transported by 4 Mi-35 attack helicopters to the eastern Raqqah countryside 21km behind the frontline and Khirbet Makman village, Al-Qadir town and Bir Rahum.

The Russian Aerospace Forces supported the opeartion providing an air cover to the advancing government troops, according to the report.

This was the first ever airlanding operation conducted by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) during the ongoing war. The operation confirmed the growing SAA military capabilities and its restored ability to conduct rapid operations across the country.

Video Shows Syrian Army in Control of Jordan Border in Sweida

Hezbollah Military Media Center posted a video showing the Syrian army and allies controlling posts on the border with Jordan in the southeastern province of Sweida.
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Filed under: Al Qaeda, Free Syrian Army, IRAQ, ISIL, Jordan, Syria, Syrian Army, War on Iraq, War on Syria | </s> Russian warplanes and Syrian forces have repelled an offensive by jihadists in a de-escalation zone in Idlib governorate in Syria. The forces killed some 850 militants and destroyed 11 tanks and other assets, Russia's General Staff reported.The offensive was launched by the militant group formerly called Al-Nusra Front and its allies on Tuesday morning, a statement from the General Staff said.The report accused US security services of instigating the offensive, which, the statement said, is meant to derail the successful operation of Damascus forces east of Deir ez-Zor.The Russian command in Syria ordered an operation to repel the militants' assault, including airstrikes and a ground offensive conducted by the military police and special operations forces, General Sergey Rudskoy, spokesman for the Russian General Staff, added in the statement.The General Staff said the jihadist offensive had been stopped. The militants' estimated losses include some 850 fighters, 11 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, 46 armed pickup trucks, five mortars, 20 freighter trucks and 38 ammo supply points.The statement says Syrian government forces supported by Russian warplanes launched a counteroffensive and recaptured territories previously seized by the jihadists. </s> Russian warplanes and Syrian forces have repelled an offensive by jihadists in a de-escalation zone in Idlib governorate in Syria. The forces killed some 850 militants and destroyed 11 tanks and other assets, Russia’s General Staff reported.

The offensive was launched by the militant group formerly called Al-Nusra Front and its allies on Tuesday morning, a statement from the General Staff said.

The jihadists attacked the positions of government forces stationed to the north and northeast of the city of Hama. The positions are part of a designated de-escalation zone, which covers Idlib governorate, the powerbase of a number of anti-government armed groups in Syria, the Russian military said.

The report accused US security services of instigating the offensive, which, the statement said, is meant to derail the successful operation of Damascus forces east of Deir ez-Zor.

The Russian General Staff said the militants tried to capture a unit of the Russian military police, which have a mandate to monitor the ceasefire in the Idlib de-escalation zone. The unit was forced to fight against a larger enemy presence for several hours, but prevailed thanks to the support of a local militia.

The Russian command in Syria ordered an operation to repel the militants’ assault, including airstrikes and a ground offensive conducted by the military police and special operations forces, General Sergey Rudskoy, spokesman for the Russian General Staff, added in the statement.

The Russian unit was successfully rescued. Three troops from the special operations forces were injured, but the Russian forces suffered no fatalities, Rudskoy said.

The General Staff said the jihadist offensive had been stopped. The militants’ estimated losses include some 850 fighters, 11 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, 46 armed pickup trucks, five mortars, 20 freighter trucks and 38 ammo supply points.

The statement says Syrian government forces supported by Russian warplanes launched a counteroffensive and recaptured territories previously seized by the jihadists. </s> Al Qaeda-linked militants in Syria down a Russian warplane, killing its pilot after he ejects from the plane and lands on the ground in the embattled north-western province of Idlib.

Al Qaeda-linked militants in Syria have shot down a Russian warplane, killing its pilot after he ejected from the plane and landed on the ground in the embattled north-western province of Idlib.

The pilot resisted being captured and fired at the militants who then shot and killed him, according to one of the militants and Syrian monitors.

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the downing of the Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack plane and said the pilot was killed in fighting with "terrorists".

A report on the ministry's Zvezda TV said preliminary information indicated the plane was shot by a portable ground-to-air missile in an area under control of Al Qaeda's branch in Syria.

Video posted on social media appeared to show the plane being hit, while other video showed burning wreckage on the ground, with a red star on a wing.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the plane was downed on Saturday afternoon local time near the rebel-held town of Saraqeb, which Syrian troops have been trying to take under the cover of Russian airstrikes.

Monitoring groups say there have been dozens of Russian airstrikes in the area over the past 24 hours.

A Russian strike from an undisclosed high-precision weapon killed more than 30 militants in the area where the Russian plane was downed, TASS news agency quoted Russia's Defence Ministry as saying.

At least five civilians were killed in another bombing which residents blamed on Russian jets.

The UN says 100,000 civilians have been displaced from the area in just the past month.

Syria's state news agency SANA said Syrian troops captured a nearby village and hill, cutting links between Saraqeb and the rebel stronghold of Maarest al-Numan to the south.

Syrian Government forces and their allies launched a push into Idlib six weeks ago, inching closer to a key highway that connects Syria's two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.

Russia is a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, and has been waging a military campaign on behalf of his forces since 2015.

Russia's Defence Ministry regularly says it targets only hardline Islamist militants in Syria.

Meanwhile, fighting raged on Saturday between Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters, and a Syrian Kurdish militia in the northern Syrian enclave of Afrin.

The Turkish military said two of its soldiers were killed in Syria and a third was killed on the Turkish side of the border in an attack by Syrian Kurdish militiamen.

Syria's civil war, now entering its eighth year, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven more than 11 million from their homes. </s> An intense fighting is ongoing between government forces and ISIS terrorists in the area of the Homs-Palmyra highway and near the border with Iraq.

According to pro-government sources, 30 ISIS members were killed and over 50 were injured during clashes in the area of Humaymah near the border with Iraq. 2 Syrian soldiers were killed as a result of the ISIS attack at the Al-Musheirefah Hill in the eastern Homs countryside. At the same time, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies advanced north of the Homs-Palmyra road and captured the Al-Alam Hill south of Taliaa al-Gharbia.

Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes destroyed at least 3 ISIS vehicles in the area of Jub Al-Abied east of Salamiyah.

According to local sources, government forces are going to resume the operation in the eastern Hama countryside within few days. The SAA, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Desert Hawks Brigade still see the liberation of Uqayrabat as a key part of the wider effort against ISIS in central Syria.

Right now, government forces cannot push to Deir Ezzor because of a high number of ISIS units operating in the rear of its logistical lines. Sukhna is another point that has to be liberated to resolve the situation.

An intense fighting is ongoing in eastern Damascus where the SAA and the NDF have been attempting to pressure Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Islam on multiple fronts. The main clashes are ongoing in the Ayn Tarma area. However, sporadic firefights were also reported in the northeastern part of the pocket. According to pro-militant sources, over 30 government soldiers were killed in the recent clashes.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed up by the US-led coalition, are storming the neighborhoods of Nezlit Shehada and Al-Shaddadi in Raqqah city. According to pro-SDF sources, over 27 ISIS members were killed in the recent clashes and an IED plant was captured. According to ISIS, 8 SDF members were killed recently.

The battle for Raqqah has turned into a very complicated task for the US-backed force. While there is little doubt that the city will be liberated, the question is how much time and manpower will this effort take?

Filed under: Al Qaeda, ISIL, Syrian Army, USA, War on Syria, Wars for Israel | Tagged: Homs, NDF, SDF |
A Syrian Army commando unit backed by Russian warplanes and helicopters kills 25 ISIL militants in Central Syria, in the northeast of the Homs Governorate.