7 members of the organization were killed after being targeted by the regime forces in Al-Sukhnah Desert along with turning the focus to the largest enclave remained for it in Syria
Homs Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the regime forces targeted in the past 24 hours, a vehicle of the “Islamic State” organization in Al-Sukhnah Desert in the eastern sector of Homs countryside, where the targeting resulted in the killing of 7 ISIS members, who were in the vehicle, where the “Islamic State” organization is still present in an enclave with an area of about 4000 square km, stretching from the north of Al-Sukhnah to Deir Ezzor Desert, and this is the largest and last enclave remained for the organization in the west of the Euphrates River, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 31st of January 2019, that the “Islamic State” Organization is still exist in the Syrian interior as a dominant force, despite its fade and loss of its power within an enclave less than 4 km² on the east banks of Euphrates River, and its almost total loss of populated areas, and turning to a besieged force that negotiate to secure safety for its leaders and members and the rest of their families, and at a time when the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition forces are carrying out the process of ending the existence of the “Islamic State” Organization as a dominant force east of Euphrates; everyone’s attention has shifted towards the larger and the last enclave of the “Islamic State” Organization in the Syrian Desert, in the middle of areas controlled by the regime forces and their allies, where the enclave sits on an area of about 4000 square kilometers, within an enclave north of Sukhnah, which extends to the administrative borders of Deir Ezzor Province, and has a good number of members of the Organization and their families and civilians moved with them to the area during their displacements, fearing retaliations by parties that are against the Organization and its opponents, while preparations are underway by the regime forces and its Russian ally with its militias inside Syrian of the Russian armed-and-trained forces, which sent reinforcements in the last few weeks to the west of Euphrates.
The Syrian Observatory published on the 4th of January 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored an attack by members of the “Islamic State” organization, on areas in Al-Mayadin Desert, in the west of the Euphrates, at the western banks of the Euphrates River, in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, where the Syrian Observatory monitored violent clashes, amid throwing light bombs by the regime forces and Iranian forces and gunmen loyal to them, in the area, accompanied by exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both parties, amid confirmed information about the fall of human losses, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored in the past 2 weeks the arrival of thousands of members of the Tiger Forces led by the Brigadier in the ranks of the regime forces, Suhail al-Hasan, and the forces of the 5th Corps backed and armed by Russia, to the west of Euphrates River, and they were deployed along the road of Tehran – Beirut of the strategic importance for the Iranian Forces, within the sector of the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor Province, the sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that this deployment by the Russian-armed forces; comes in an attempt by Russia to end the Iranian hegemony over the area, especially the areas of al-Bokamal and al-Mayadin, after the popular resentment in the area of the Iranian forces’ expand within the area on sectarian bases, where they brought tens of Iranian and Asian families of the Shiite sect to the towns and villages of the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, and the recruitment operations carried out by them against youth and men in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, where they managed to recruit about 1100 persons in the recent weeks, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 11th of December 2018 that the Iranians almost never stop expanding inside Syria, where the previous years of fighting let them know the land, and in the recent months they have turned into pickers and selectors for places where they can expand, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights followed this expansion process, and The Syrian Observatory monitored the increase in number of the Syrian citizens who joined the ranks of the Iranian forces and their militias of the Afghanis, Asians, Lebanese and Iraqis, and the Syrian Observatory learned that the number of those who joined them reached about 1100 of Syrians men and young men, where they are enlisted for monthly salaries vary from west of Euphrates to the south of Syria, where these salaries reached US $ 150, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored continuous attempts by the Iranians to entice civilians in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor on the road to Tehran – Beirut, trying to establish an popular base in the area, which will prevent the loss of the strategic road between Iranian capital Tehran and the Lebanese capital Beirut, which is used by the Iranian forces mainly. these enticing attempts come through their attempts to return the rights of the residents, of those whose belongings were seized by volunteers and conscripts in the Iranian militias, to earn the love of the population and satisfy them and to push them to join their ranks, they also distribute food, clothes, blankets, and other daily tools and study tools, all of them have Persian writings, and the Iranian forces through their spreading are preventing the regime forces from abusing the population and return their belongings to them, where the people now go to the Iranian forces to get back their stolen property taken rights by the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them.
The Syrian Observatory published weeks ago that the Iranian Forces in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor at the west bank of Euphrates River; continue to fortify their positions and points in anticipation of any counterattacks by the Islamic State organization against the Iranian Forces and the regime forces and their allies there, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Iranian Forces continuing planting IEDs and mines along the west bank of Euphrates River -where they are located,- as part of their fortifications to reduce the frequency of attacks by the Organization through crossing the Euphrates river from the east bank -where its enclave is located- to the west bank, also this fortification process comes with anticipation to launch the major ground operation of SDF east of Euphrates, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 5th of November 2018, that since losing its strategic control on the road of Tehran – Beirut in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor on the western banks of Euphrates River, in December 2017; the “Islamic State” Organization has not stopped threatening the regime forces and their allies of the Iranian Forces, the Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Afghan, Syrian and Asian militias who are present in the entire western line of Euphrates, the threat took the form of artillery and ground attacks targeted the regime forces and its allies, or through ground attacks monitored by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in which the “Islamic State” Organization moves from the eastern banks of Euphrates River, coming from its last pocket east of the river to the west bank of the river, and it comes every time from an area trying to bluff the regime forces and their allies, and despite their surveillance of the river they were not able to stop these attacks, which cause large numbers of casualties and wounded each time, also the Organization was able to make a road for itself to exit towards the Syrian Desert, in which the Organization has a large enclave in addition to positions scattered within the Syrian Desert on the administrative border between Deir Ezzor and Homs.