“Armed ISIS cells from deep in the Syrian desert launched a surprise attack targeting a group of regime forces in the Kabajib desert in Deir ez-Zor, killing a brigadier general and three members,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor.
The militants fled back into the depths of the desert after the ambush, the Observatory said.
It is the latest in a spate of ISIS attacks in Syria, particularly from the desert regions where jihadist cells maintain a presence.
ISIS swept through large swathes of Syria in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2019 but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions in the country.
At least 457 Syrian regime soldiers and pro-Iran militants have been killed by ISIS militants in Syria since the start of the year. The attacks have also killed 57 civilians, according to data from the Observatory.
On Friday, the US military carried out airstrikes against ISIS camps in Syria. The strikes caused no civilian casualties, according to the army.
