ISIS Attack Kills 11 Regime, Allied Fighters in Syrian Desert

FILE PHOTO: Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk on the rubble of damaged shops and buildings in the city of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 10, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk on the rubble of damaged shops and buildings in the city of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 10, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
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ISIS Attack Kills 11 Regime, Allied Fighters in Syrian Desert

FILE PHOTO: Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk on the rubble of damaged shops and buildings in the city of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 10, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk on the rubble of damaged shops and buildings in the city of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 10, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo

An attack by ISIS in the Syrian desert Thursday killed 11 regime and allied fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The fighters died in an attack on their vehicle between Al-Sokhna and Al-Shula in the area straddling Homs and Deir Ezzor provinces.

Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the UK-based monitor, warned that the casualty toll could rise.

There was no immediate claim from ISIS.

At least 27 regime and allied fighters were killed in an attack by the militant group in the same desert area on April 9.

ISIS has also carried out deadly attacks in Iraq in recent weeks.

Observers have warned that border closures and mobilization of security resources due to the coronavirus pandemic could give rise to a surge in ISIS attacks.

The extremist group no longer has fixed positions, but it still has hundreds of militants hunkered down in desert hideouts.

Two members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were also killed in a suspected ISIS attack in Baghouz, near the border with Iraq, the Observatory said.

Such attacks against the SDF have been frequent in the Baghouz area.



Israel Shoots Down a Drone from Yemen, Military Says

This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)
This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)
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Israel Shoots Down a Drone from Yemen, Military Says

This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)
This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)

Israel's military said Monday it intercepted a drone launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli territory, days after a long-range rocket attack by Yemen's Houthi militias hit Tel Aviv, injuring 16 people from shattered glass.

The military said no air raid warning sirens were sounded Monday. Israel says the Iran-backed Houthis have fired more than 200 missiles and UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles, during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — attacks they say won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The attacks on shipping and Israel are taking place despite US and European warships patrolling the area.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, the US conducted airstrikes on Yemen. Last week, Israel launched its own airstrikes on Yemen, killing at least nine people, and a Houthi missile damaged a school in Israel.