17 Pro-Iran Militants Killed, Injured in ISIS Attack in Central Syria

Members of the Liwa Fatemiyoun during training in eastern Syria. (Euphrates Post file photo)
Members of the Liwa Fatemiyoun during training in eastern Syria. (Euphrates Post file photo)
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17 Pro-Iran Militants Killed, Injured in ISIS Attack in Central Syria

Members of the Liwa Fatemiyoun during training in eastern Syria. (Euphrates Post file photo)
Members of the Liwa Fatemiyoun during training in eastern Syria. (Euphrates Post file photo)

Seventeen members of the pro-Iran Liwa Fatemiyoun militia were killed and wounded in an attack carried out by the ISIS terrorist group in the Homs countryside in central Syria.

A source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militants, who are affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, were killed in an ISIS ambush on Monday night.

The ambush targeted a Liwa Fatemiyoun military position in the Doubayat gas field area that is a stronghold of the militia.

Eight members of the militia were killed in the attack. Nine others were wounded and they were taken to a field hospital in Palmyra for treatment.

Groups affiliated with the IRGC in Palmyra attempted to dispatch military reinforcements to the site of the attack, but it was targeted by another ISIS ambush along the road connecting Plamyra to al-Sukhna region.

This forced Russian jets to intervene. They carried out over 20 strikes against ISIS in the area.

An opposition activist in the city of Salamiyah said ISIS has increased its activity in the Syrian desert in Hama, Homs and central parts of the country in recent weeks. It has staged surprise attacks against IRGC positions and regime convoys in the desert (Badia).

Vehicles transporting pro-Iran militants, of various nationalities, cross Salamiyah on a daily basis headed towards the Hama desert to reinforce positions there, he revealed.

Several pro-Iran militants have been killed in ISIS attacks in recent days in regions in eastern Hama. Convoys transporting regime fighters, including officers, have also been targeted by the extremists. Thirteen regime forces were killed and five others were captured in one attack.

The regime and pro-Iran militias, backed by Russian air cover, have launched a large-scale operation to crackdown on ISIS remnants in the Syrian Badia in Hama and Homs, extending to the southern and eastern parts of the Raqqa and Deir Ezzor provinces in the east.

Despite these efforts, the operation has not curbed ISIS’ renewed activity. The group has resorted to ambushes and surprise attacks. Over 115 regime loyalists, including Iranians and Afghan mercenaries, have been killed in ISIS attacks in recent months.



Fire at a Telecom Company in Cairo Injures 14 and Temporarily Disrupts Service

 Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Fire at a Telecom Company in Cairo Injures 14 and Temporarily Disrupts Service

 Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A fire engulfed the main telecom company building in downtown Cairo on Monday, injuring at least 14 people and prompting a temporary outage of internet and mobile phone services, officials said.

The 14 injured were taken to nearby hospitals, the Health Ministry said in a statement. A witness told news broadcaster Cairo 24 that two emergency responders suffered burns on their hands.

The fire started on the seventh floor of a landmark 10-story Telecom Egypt building in the Ramses area of Cairo, the governor's office said in a statement.

Ambulances and firetrucks were on site as plumes of dark smoke rose in the downtown. Firefighters put up ladders as firetrucks spewed water to contain the blaze, while security officials cordoned off the area.

The fire broke in an equipment room of Telecom Egypt and led to a temporary disruption of telecom services, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement. Telecom services were expected to be restored within hours, the authority said. Online payment services were also disrupted.

NetBlocks, a global internet monitor said on X that network data show national connectivity was at 62% of ordinary levels amid reports of the fire at the telecoms datacenter in Cairo.