ISIS resurgence | With intensive Russian airstrikes, regime soldiers and loyalists renew anti-ISIS operation in the Syrian desert

On June 8, 2021
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activists have documented new security operation by the regime and its proxies topped by National Defense, and the militias loyal to Russia under Russian-backed Palestinian “Liwaa al-Quds” in the desert extended between al-Mayadeen to Faydah Ibn Moyta’ near the eastern neighborhood of Deir Ezzor countryside in searching ISIS cells that have escalated activities in the past few days either in that region or other scattered areas in the Syrian desert in the countryside of Homs, Raqqa and Hama.
The operation has been launched in the morning early hours with intensive airstrikes of the Russian warplanes that bombarded dozens of raids targeting caves that could be taken as hotbeds for ISIS fighters.
On June 5, SOHR activists documented the death of 23 regime soldiers in different areas of the Syrian desert in the past 48 hours in ambushes and explosions of landmines planted by ISIS cells which are prevalent in east Homs desert and the deserts of Hama, al-Raqqah and Deir Ezzor. The regime’s fatalities included an officer of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and his escort who was Iranian, as unknown gunmen opened fire on them while they were traveling on the road between Palmyra and Deir Ezzor in central Syria.
These attacks were carried out, although Russian fighter jets executed nearly 24 airstrikes on the Syrian desert in the past 48 hours, as well as the daily combing operations by regime forces and loyal militias.
On June 4, reliable sources reported that ISIS members attacked positions and posts of regime forces and their proxies in Faydat Ibn Muwani’ in al-Mayadeen desert in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where clashes erupted between the two sides. Meanwhile, regime forces fired several rockets in an attempt to foil the attack which left five regime soldiers and loyalists dead. ISIS also lost two members in these clashes.
On the other hand, SOHR activists documented the death of seven regime soldiers and loyalists, including a brigadier general in a surprise attack by ISIS members in al-Sukhnah desert in the eastern countryside of Homs, near the administrative border with Deir Ezzor. Also, three ISIS members were killed in the attack.
This development coincided with ISIS escalating operations in the Syrian desert, despite the intensive airstrikes by Russian fighter jets.