IDLIB — The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) wrote on Facebook Jan. 29 that the Islamic State organization (IS) escalated activities in January within the Aleppo-Hama-Raqqa triangle, in addition to the desert area of Homs and Deir ez-Zor. Military operations are conducted on a daily basis in this area as part of the Syrian regime's and Russia's attempts to stop IS activities.
According to SOHR statistics, IS killed 153 members of the regime forces and pro-regime militias in January in the Syrian Desert, out of which 70 members were killed in five IS ambushes. The rest were targeted in clashes, roadside bombs or landmines. In contrast, 81 IS militants were killed in Russian airstrikes and clashes with the regime forces and pro-regime militias.
The escalation continued in February, with IS killing 19 members of the regime forces and pro-regime militias Feb. 3 in an offensive in the Ithriyah-Sukhna axis in the Syrian Desert. That is the harbinger of a new escalation in the area.
A few days ago, Assad's forces announced a "sweeping campaign" in the Deir ez-Zor, Homs and Hama governorates. The operation aims to secure the highway that links Damascus to Deir ez-Zor. This comes after IS resumed activities, carrying out a series of attacks against the Assad regime and pro-regime militia positions. Seventeen members of Liwa al-Quds and the 17th Reserve Division were killed in the latest IS offensive, which followed another attack killing 12 members of Liwa al-Baqir in the same area.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
