In 24 hours | Nearly 100 Russian airstrikes pound ISIS positions in Syrian desert

SOHR activists say that Russian jets executed, during the past 24 hours, about 90 airstrikes on the Syrian desert, targeting the desert between the city of Al-Tabqa in Al-Raqqah countryside and the area of Ethraya, east of Hama.

In addition, regime helicopters dropped about eight barrel-bombs on the same area.

Meanwhile, Russian jets continue their aerial operations on the Syrian desert, executing intensive airstrikes on ISIS positions.

On April 4, SOHR sources reported that Russian fighter jets executed over 70 airstrikes, targeting positions, bunkers and vehicles in Jabal Al-Bishri area, Al-Mayadeen desert in Deir Ezzor countryside and Aleppo-Al-Raqqah-Hama triangle.

The Russian jets also started a new round of airstrikes, targeting positions in Atheriya and surrounding areas in the eastern countryside of Hama. SOHR activists have documented the death of 13 ISIS members due to the Russian airstrikes in the past hours, mostly killed in Hama desert.

Yesterday, SOHR sources said that regime forces, the Russian-backed Palestinian “Liwaa Al-Quds” and the “National Defense Forces” continued combing operations in Al-Mayadeen desert in east Deir Ezzor countryside for the third day in a row, in search for ISIS members. The combing operations covered the area of Fidat Ibn Moin’a and its surroundings in the desert west of the Euphrates, where landmines were dismantled.

According to Syrian Observatory sources, the campaign, which was launched yesterday, has not yet witnessed direct clashes between regime forces, loyal militias and the Islamic State.

Moreover, Russian jets participated in the campaign, executing airstrikes on the region, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activists monitored Russian jets executing more than 25 airstrikes since morning, targeting caves and bunkers in the desert of al-Mayadeen. No casualties were reported.

Since 24th of March 2019, SOHR has documented the killing of at least 1,381 regime soldiers and loyalists of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, including at least two Russians, and 149 Iranian-backed militiamen of non-Syrian nationalities. All were killed in attacks, bombings and ambushes by the “Islamic State”, west of Euphrates in the deserts of Deir Ezzor, Homs, and Al-Suwaidaa.

Also, four civilians working in gas fields, 11 shepherds and four other people were killed and documented by SOHR in the same period, from late March 2019 until today. They were killed in attacks by ISIS cells. While 880 ISIS members were also killed in attacks and bombardment in the same period.