AhlulBayt News Agency - At 2am yesterday morning 1st May, ISIS militants and tank units launched a major assault on the western flank of the oil rich Al-Shaer region in eastern Homs.
As clashes continued throughout the morning hours, ISIS was able to seize 2 checkpoints in the Huwaysas region along with 4 points at the adjacent Abu Duhur mountain.
According to a military source in Palmyra, 14 government soldiers were killed during the attack as the so-called Islamic State troops overwhelmed their defences during the initial thrust.
However, the same source said that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) regained all lost positions during the afternoon as the Russian Air Force was called in and gradually pushed ISIS fighters back to their initial positions.
Despite relentless Russian airstrikes, the ISIS death toll during the ISIS attack and subsequent government counter-offensive was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, the SAA’s elite Tiger Forces have advanced significantly on the eastern flank of the al-Shair oil fields in recent weeks after government forces wrestled the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS one month ago.
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