ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--Syrian regime forces closed in on the Islamic State (ISIS)-held Tabqa airbase 40 kilometers west of that group’s main Syrian stronghold, the city of Raqqa, on Monday. Airstrikes from Syrian and Russian warplanes are covering a ground assault led by regular Syrian Army soldiers who have been joined by loyalist militiamen. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group reported that at least 18 airstrikes have hit the area since Sunday, displacing civilians in the town, many of whom are fleeing ahead of the Syrian advance. The Observatory reported that at least one person died in the airstrikes and many more were wounded. Tabqa is strategically located on the Euphrates River west of Raqqa. It includes a dam and a former Syrian military airbase. The Syrian army began a push into Raqqa province at the start of June, entering the region for the first time since ISIS forced them out in August 2014.
Analysis26-07-2026Production and Export of Oil in Iran, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region in the Shadow of War
