Islamic State fighters launched a major attack on Free Syrian Army units based in the Syrian desert east of Damascus, using car bombs and heavy shelling, a local monitoring group said.
The Forces of Martyrs Ahmad al-Abdo rebel group, a key unit in the Southern Front alliance, said it had thwarted the attack, leaving 15 ISIS fighters dead, according to the Dumeir Local Coordination Committee.
ISIS still controls swathes of territory in Badiyet al-Sham, a desert area connecting the eastern Qalamoun region with the ancient Palmyra city and the Iraqi borders.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
