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Heavy clashes between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and ISIS cells are ongoing in Homs’s eastern countryside for a second day in a row.
ISIS remnants in the Homs desert launched, on April 9, a large-scale attack on army positions in the towns of al-Sukhnah and Wadi al-Waer. Initially, the terrorist group made some gains. However, army units pushed terrorists back on the next day, recapturing most of the lost positions.
Warplanes of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are reportedly providing army troops in eastern Homs with a close air support.
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According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 32 Syrian soldiers and 26 ISIS terrorists have been killed in clashes so far.
The ongoing attack in eastern Homs is one of ISIS’ largest operations in the central region since its defeat in Syria back in 2017. The terrorist group’s remnants in the Homs desert have been apparently receiving steady supplies.
The Syrian Army will likely repel the attack and reverse all the ISIS gains within a few days, if not hours. Reinforcements of the army and its allies are on their way to eastern Homs. Later, governt forces will likely respond to the ISIS attack with another wide security operation in the region.