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ISIS Gains Momentum in Syria, Avoids Iranian Militias

ISIS members in Syria (SOHR)
ISIS members in Syria (SOHR)
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ISIS Gains Momentum in Syria, Avoids Iranian Militias

ISIS members in Syria (SOHR)
ISIS members in Syria (SOHR)

ISIS has significantly escalated its attacks in Syria during the first half of 2024, a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Thursday.
The Observatory revealed that ISIS still avoids targeting Iranian militias despite their large presence in the Syrian desert (Badia).
Instead, ISIS mainly targets Syrian regime forces, killing many officers, it said.
SOHR also said that ISIS targeted military and civilians alike. The attacks were mainly staged within scattered areas of the Syrian desert under the control of the regime and Iranian militias, and in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern and eastern Syria.
It noted that the terrorist group killed hundreds of people despite the sweep campaigns launched against its cells by Russian-backed army forces in the Syrian countryside and the security operations carried out by the SDF, with the support of the International Coalition, in northern and eastern Syria.
On Wednesday, ISIS killed eight people, including two civilians, in an ambush on pro-government militiamen in Syria’s desert.
The monitor group reported a death toll of eight, including “six members of the National Defense Forces and two sheep herders.”
According to SOHR statistics, ISIS has killed 449 people in 155 military operations it launched in the Syrian desert since early 2024.
The Britain-based monitor with sources in Syria said that the fatalities include 29 ISIS members, three of whom were killed in Russian airstrikes and the others by regime forces and their proxy militias.
It added that 376 members of regime forces and their proxy militias, including 33 Iranian-backed Syrian militiamen and three members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed in 155 operations by ISIS members, including ambushes, armed attacks, and explosions, in west Euphrates region and the deserts of Deir Ezzor, Al-Raqqah, Homs.
The SOHR report said all counter-operations to limit the rise of ISIS have failed.
ISIS overran large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a governorate and launching a reign of terror.
It was defeated territorially in Syria in 2019, but its remnants still carry out deadly attacks -- particularly in the desert -- and mainly targeting government loyalists and Kurdish-led fighters.
Last month, the Observatory said ISIS fighters had killed nearly 4,100 people in Syria since 2019.
The United Nations in January said ISIS’s combined strength in Iraq and Syria was 3,000-5,000 fighters, with the desert serving as a hub for the group in Syria.

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Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
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Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Thursday called on major powers to “exert greater efforts to end the war in Palestine and Lebanon.” Meanwhile, an Iraqi government official urged the United States to “prevent any attacks on the country,” referring to potential Israeli strikes.
During a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Al-Sudani stressed the importance of ensuring the conflict does not escalate “to a level that threatens regional and global stability.”
The Iraqi prime minister’s appeal comes amid reports suggesting that Israel may launch strikes on Iraq in retaliation for attacks by Iraqi armed factions targeting Israeli positions.
The Iraqi government is striving to assert its exclusive authority over weapons and war-related decisions. However, armed factions affiliated with the Axis of Resistance openly claim responsibility for near-daily rocket attacks on Israel. This has provided Israel with a justification for potentially targeting Iraqi territory, especially after it filed a complaint with the UN Security Council against six Iraqi factions and held Baghdad responsible for the attacks.
These factions have also openly declared their involvement in the ongoing conflict with Israel in Lebanon and Gaza. The Iraqi government has been unable to take decisive action to halt the activities of these factions, which many believe could soon expose Iraq to an Israeli strike.
According to media reports, Washington has warned Baghdad that Israeli airstrikes on Iraq are “imminent” unless the Iraqi government curtails attacks by Iranian-backed factions on Israel. The Times of Israel cited sources indicating that the United States has “exhausted all means of pressure on Israel” and urged Iraq to act swiftly to prevent such attacks.
Despite repeated assurances from the Iraqi government—including its recent adoption of 12 measures by the National Security Council to counter Israeli threats and complaints—the situation remains tense. These measures include monitoring Iraq’s western borders, preventing factions from launching attacks, and maintaining Iraq’s neutrality in the ongoing conflict.
On Wednesday, Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi, Secretary-General of Kata’ib Hezbollah, made a striking statement on the role of resistance factions in the war and their commitment to the Unity of Fronts doctrine frequently mentioned by Axis of Resistance groups.
In an interview published by the faction’s media arm, Al-Hamidawi said: “The continuity of the Unity of Fronts concept depends on what the Lebanese Hezbollah decides.”
Al-Hamidawi also emphasized that resistance factions are constantly coordinating internally and with external partners such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Palestinian resistance leaders.
“We aim to ensure that the Palestinian people are not left alone and that the Unity of Fronts remains intact,” he stated.
Fadi Al-Shammari, a political advisor to Sudani, reiterated that Israel’s threats “are not new,” citing the recent complaint filed by Israel with the UN Security Council as part of its pattern of issuing threats.
In media statements, Al-Shammari reaffirmed the Iraqi government’s long-standing position: “The decision of war and peace lies solely with the Iraqi government.”
He noted that the factions’ attacks are being launched from areas outside Iraq’s borders, specifically from Syria. However, he stressed that the Iraqi government is working through its security and military agencies to prevent Iraq from becoming a battlefield for external or internal parties.
Al-Shammari also called on the United States to fulfill its responsibilities under the Strategic Framework Agreement and security pact with Iraq, emphasizing the need to deter and respond to any external attacks that threaten Iraq’s internal security.