BEIRUT - Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the country’s desert, setting off two days of clashes that killed over two dozen soldiers, a war monitoring organization said Saturday.

A pro-government militia confirmed the ambush, saying it had sent its fighters to liberate the two besieged battalions.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour.

But the militants remain active in the desert to the west of Deir el-Zour, where they have taken refuge and increasingly targeted government troops and allied militia.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS militants ambushed government forces in the desert of central Homs province Thursday night, setting off clashes that lasted for two days. The Observatory said at least 27 soldiers were killed, including four officers. </s> At least 50 Syrian soldiers have been killed in attacks carried out by Islamic State and al Qaeda in the last few days, said the for Human Rights on Saturday.

According to Al Jazeera, IS on Thursday attacked Syrian forces in central The clash lasted two days leaving 27 soldiers dead till Saturday.

The IS has lost its territory in in March, however, fighters remain active in the desert where they have taken refuge and increasingly target government troops and allies' militia.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last month announced that the and the (ISIL or ISIS) has lost its last stronghold, Baghouz, in eastern

"Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100 per cent territorial defeat of On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made victory possible," tweeted Mustafa Bali,

The terror group had once controlled vast territories of land stretching from western to eastern </s> Islamic State attacks on the Syrian army and allied militias in central Syria have killed 35 soldiers over two days, a war monitor said early Saturday.

Although Islamic State lost its last territorial enclave in Syria at Baghuz near the Iraqi border last month to U.S.-backed forces, it still has fighters holding out in the remote central desert.

The monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the attacks constituted Islamic State’s biggest military operation since losing Baghuz and involved assaults in several parts of central Syria.

The most intense attack was in the al-Koum area north of the ancient desert city of Palmyra, the Observatory said, where Islamic State militants killed 15 Syrian army and allied soldiers.

Islamic State said in a message on its Amaq news outlet Friday that it had killed 20 Syrian soldiers and injured others in the al-Sukhna region between Palmyra and Deir al-Zor in an ambush and clashes.

Syrian state news outlets did not carry any reports of Islamic State attacks or of deaths among pro-government forces in clashes with the militant group. </s> A Syria war monitoring organization says an Islamic State group attack in the country's center has killed scores of government troops.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed fighters in the east. But the militants remain active in the desert area where they have increasingly targeted government troops.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday IS militants ambushed government forces in the desert of central Homs province, setting off Thursday night two days of clashes that killed at least 27 soldiers.

Liwa al-Quds, a pro-government militia, said IS militants attacked two army battalions in the area. It said its fighters liberated the battalions and pulled out the bodies but didn't give a casualty figure. </s> BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the country’s desert, setting off two days of clashes that killed over two dozen soldiers, a war monitoring organization said Saturday. A pro-government militia…

BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the country’s desert, setting off two days of clashes that killed over two dozen soldiers, a war monitoring organization said Saturday.

A pro-government militia confirmed the ambush, saying it had sent its fighters to liberate the two besieged battalions.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour.

But the militants remain active in the desert to the west of Deir el-Zour, where they have taken refuge and increasingly targeted government troops and allied militia.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS militants ambushed government forces in the desert of central Homs province Thursday night, setting off clashes that lasted for two days. The Observatory said at least 27 soldiers were killed, including four officers.

Liwa al-Quds, a pro-government militia, said its fighters deployed to the desert area to liberate 500 soldiers besieged east of al-Sukhna town. In a Facebook post, the militia said it successfully broke the siege and liberated the surviving soldiers, before pulling the bodies of those killed and damaged vehicles to safety.

Liwa al-Quds, one of the elite militias operating side by side with government troops, didn’t give a casualty figure.

Activists have reported a rise in clashes between government forces and allied troops and IS militants following the end of the extremist’s presence in the nearby Deir el-Zour province.

The militant group, which once controlled large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, has kept a network of sleeper cells active in both countries.

It has also kept up its media operations. The IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency reported the attack east of al-Sukhna, adding that in 24 hours of clashes its militants killed nearly two dozen Syrian soldiers and officers. It said the militants also seized Syrian government ammunition and vehicles.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Attacks by ISIS extremist group fighters deep in the Syrian Desert killed 27 Damascus troops and allied fighters over the past 48 hours, a monitoring group said on Saturday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included four senior Syrian army officer.

The Amaq propaganda arm of ISIS, which lost the last vestige of its “caliphate” to Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria last month but retains desert and mountain hideouts in both Syria and Iraq, said its fighters carried out the operation.

ALSO READ: Turkey criticizes French President for receiving the SDF </s> The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham are involved in the deadliest battle of the month in northwestern Hama, Al-Masdar News reports.

What began as a successful month for the Syrian Arab Army has since turned in a blood bath with all warring parties trading heavy offensives along the Hama-Idlib axis.

The death from this week’s battles has already exceeded over 100 dead, as a surprise Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham offensive has resulted in little map changes and heavy losses.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the militants suffered over 120 casualties during their offensive on Thursday night.

A source from the Syrian military was more conservative with their numbers, as they claimed the militant death toll was estimated between 60-70.

The source added that the Syrian Arab Army and their allies from the National Defense Forces (NDF) lost 39 soldiers during the battles on Thursday and Friday.

The majority of the Syrian Army’s dead were reported on Thursday night when Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham broke through their lines at the small town of Jibeen.

As of now, the militants are in control of two out of the three areas they targeted on Thursday night; however, the Syrian Arab Army is working to retake these sites in order to secure the region north of Mhardeh. </s> BEIRUT — Syrian government forces came under separate attacks from Islamic State militants and al Qaeda-linked insurgents in different parts of the country that killed nearly 50 soldiers and allied fighters, activists and a war monitoring group said Saturday.

In one attack, Islamic State militants ambushed Syrian government forces in the desert of central Homs province Thursday night, setting off two days of clashes that killed 27 soldiers, including four officers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A pro-government militia, known as Liwa al-Quds, confirmed the ambush, saying it had sent its fighters to liberate the two besieged battalions, made up of nearly 500 soldiers, east of al-Sukhna.

In a Facebook post, the militia said it successfully broke the siege and liberated the surviving soldiers before pulling the bodies of those killed and damaged vehicles to safety.

The Islamic State group lost its last territories in Syria in March after months of battles with U.S-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour. But the militants remain active in the desert to the west of Deir el-Zour, where they have taken refuge and increasingly target government troops and allied militia.

Separately, government forces came under attack from insurgents of al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahir al-Sham in northwestern Syria, where a cease-fire is supposed to be in place.

The Observatory said the insurgents assaulted the government positions west of Aleppo early Saturday, killing 21 soldiers and allied fighters. Baladi news, an activist-operated news site, said the attack in Akrab village killed 27 soldiers. Akrab overlooks the Aleppo-Damascus highway. </s> Lebanon army advances against ISIL in border battle and has recaptured two thirds of the territory, says military.

A mine blast killed three Lebanese soldiers on Sunday as they were heading to take part in an offensive against ISIL along the border with Syria, the army said.

Lebanon's army began its operation in the Ras Baalbek and Qaa region early on Saturday, and has already recaptured two thirds of the territory in the area, the military said.

The retaken area covers about 80 square kilometres once controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, the army said.

But an army source warned on Sunday that ousting ISIL from the rest of the territory would be tough.

"The toughest battle will be to retake the remaining 40 percent because it is there that Daesh fighters are gathered. Nevertheless the army is ready," said the source, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.

The soldiers killed on Sunday were on their way to join the offensive to oust ISIL, the military said in a statement.

"An army vehicle was hit by a landmine on the Al-Najsa road roundabout in Jurud Arsal at noon today, killing three soldiers and injuring one soldier seriously," it read.

The statement said the wounded soldier was evacuated to hospital.

The battle against ISIL is being fought further north from Jurud Arsal, along the border with Syria.

The army also said soldiers blew up an explosives-packed car and a booby-trapped motorcycle carrying would-be suicide bombers in Ras Baalbek, preventing an attack on the troops.

Lebanon's battle against ISIL comes as the group faces assaults in both neighbouring Syria and Iraq, where the government early on Sunday announced an offensive on the group's bastion of Tal Afar.

On Sunday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported soldiers used heavy artillery and rockets against ISIL positions in Jurud Ras Baalbek.

At least 20 ISIL fighters have been killed in clashes since the army unleashed its operation on Saturday, and 10 soldiers wounded, military spokesman Brigadier General Nazih Jreij said.

He said on the first day of the offensive that the army had captured around 30 square kms of territory.

The army says around 600 ISIL fighters were deployed in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa areas and controlled around 120 square kms of territory before the latest advances.

The offensive comes after Lebanon's powerful Shia group Hezbollah waged a six-day assault against ISIL and al-Qaeda's former affiliate in the Jurud Arsal area.

The operation ended with a ceasefire that saw around 8,000 refugees and fighters transported to a rebel-held area of northwestern Syria in return for the release of five captured Hezbollah fighters.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said it launched an operation against ISIL from the Syrian side of the border, where its fighters are battling alongside President Bashar al-Assad's army against rebels.

The Lebanese army denied any coordination with Hezbollah or the Syrian army.

Hezbollah's War Media outlet said its fighters and Syrian troops had "managed to liberate 87 square kilometres of the total area controlled by the Daesh organisation... in western Qalamun region" of Syria on Saturday alone.

On Sunday, the SITE Intelligence Group reported an ISIL claim that the group had killed "nearly 100 Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah fighters amidst clashes in western Qalamun".

Security along Lebanon's eastern border with Syria has long been a concern, and in 2014 ISIL and the Nusra Front group invaded the town of Arsal and kidnapped 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen.

Four were executed by their captors while a fifth died of his wounds.

Sixteen were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015, but another nine solders are believed to remain in ISIL hands, their fate unknown.

 

The army offensive against ISIL also comes after the group claimed several international attacks, including twin car ramming incidents in Spain that killed 14 people.

Lebanese soldiers raised the Spanish flag on a hilltop captured from ISIL on Saturday in a tribute to the victims of those attacks, the army said.
ISIL militants kill 50 Syrian soldiers in two days of clashes in the Syrian desert.