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
TT

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.



UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon Say they Observed Israeli Army Destroying Residential Areas

 This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
TT

UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon Say they Observed Israeli Army Destroying Residential Areas

 This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon on Monday said it has observed recent “concerning actions” by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, including the destruction of residential areas and road blockages.
A spokesperson for the peacekeeping mission, Kandice Ardiel, told The Associated Press that peacekeepers also observed on Monday an Israeli flag flying in Lebanese territory near Naqoura. The town hosts the headquarters of the peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL.
Under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army is required to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon within 60 days of the agreement’s signing on Nov. 27.
Since the ceasefire went into effect, the Israeli army has conducted near-daily military operations in southern villages, including firing gunshots, house demolitions, excavations, tank shelling and strikes. These actions have killed at least 27 people, wounded more than 30, destroyed residential buildings and, in one case, a mosque.
“Peacekeepers continue to monitor the situation on the ground and report violations of Resolution 1701,” Ardiel said. “We reiterate our call for all actors to cease and refrain from violations of Resolution 1701 and any actions that may upset the current delicate balance.”
On Monday, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern town of Khiam as part of a tour of front-line areas alongside army chief Joseph Aoun and UNIFIL Head of Mission Aroldo Lazaro. Mikati and Lazaro urged the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory to allow the army to fully assume its duties.