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.



Yemen’s New PM Takes Office in Aden Amid Deep Economic Crisis

 A view of the Yemeni cabinet meeting in Aden (SABA)
A view of the Yemeni cabinet meeting in Aden (SABA)
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Yemen’s New PM Takes Office in Aden Amid Deep Economic Crisis

 A view of the Yemeni cabinet meeting in Aden (SABA)
A view of the Yemeni cabinet meeting in Aden (SABA)

Yemen’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Salem Saleh bin Braik, officially assumed office in the interim capital Aden after returning from Riyadh alongside Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi, amid worsening economic conditions and deteriorating public services in the war-ravaged country.

Bin Braik takes the helm as Yemen grapples with one of its most severe economic downturns in recent years. The local currency has plunged to a record low, with the US dollar trading at over 2,500 Yemeni rials, fueling inflation and deepening humanitarian needs.

Citizens in government-held areas are hoping the new prime minister can halt the currency’s freefall and improve crumbling services, particularly electricity, after years of war have drained public resources and infrastructure.

In his first cabinet meeting, attended by Al-Alimi, bin Braik outlined his vision and roadmap for the coming period, describing directives from the presidential council as an urgent framework aimed at “containing economic and service deterioration, alleviating humanitarian suffering, and strengthening the state’s legal authority.”

He listed key priorities including financial and monetary policy reform, activating oversight and accountability mechanisms, and combating corruption.

Bin Braik has called for sweeping institutional reforms and national cooperation as he assumes office, vowing to restore oversight bodies and stabilize the economy amid a worsening crisis in government-held areas.

Speaking during his first cabinet meeting in Aden, bin Braik said the reactivation of key institutions such as the Supreme Anti-Corruption Commission, the High Tender Committee, and the Tender Oversight Authority was “imperative and necessary” to strengthen transparency and support other watchdog bodies.

He also stressed the need for Yemen’s parliament and consultative council to resume sessions from Aden.

Bin Braik pledged to empower the central bank to fully perform its functions and regain control over public revenues, insisting that all liberated provinces must deposit their income into the bank. “Success in these efforts,” he said, “requires broad national integration and cooperation between the government, local authorities, and political components.”

The prime minister urged Yemen’s political parties, media professionals, and activists to adopt a unified national discourse and engage in constructive criticism, stressing that “this phase does not allow for political rivalries or narrow calculations.”

In a message directed to the public, particularly women and youth, bin Braik reaffirmed his government’s commitment to supporting their causes, empowering them, and addressing their aspirations within a clear institutional framework.

“We don’t want to put the country onto a civil-war track, but believe me, this is not going to affect our commitment to the need to extend and consolidate the authority of the state,” Salam said.