With the Syrian military still reeling from the loss of Palmyra (Tadmur) and two valuable nearby gas fields to ISIS in the past week, warplanes have begun to pound the area, with state media claiming over 160 airstrikes today against ISIS targets.
State media reports claimed over 50 ISIS fighters killed in the strikes, which covered Palmyra, al-Suknah, and the area around the gas fields. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported four civilians slain.
ISIS, however, doesn’t appear to be slowing its offensive, and has moved further down the highway between Palmyra (Tadmur) and Damascus, seizing a valuable set of phosphate mines in the area.
The losses are likely taking a toll on the Assad government, which has already lost more or less all of the nation’s oil assets, and has now lost gas fields vital to their electricity production, and phosphate mines that represented one of their last real marketable export products.
Syria’s airstrikes in the immediate vicinity of Palmyra appear to have been limited to avoid any hits on the valuable ancient city, which is a UN heritage site.
Couldn't they have done this when the crazies were on their way to Palmyra?
Syrian warplanes attack ISIS? Those attacks are totally unacceptable to the western community. You can count on western reprisals and perhaps even a no-fly zone being established in order to punish and prevent Syrians from attacking America’s friends (ISIS) in the future.
Bashar Assad should kill ISIS, US construct and US terrorist agents, over night. Long live Assad and death to his enemies black and white.
The Syrian people have cause for concern. If ISIS does take control, there will be mass executions of men, women and children. While Obama congratulates himself and goes golfing.
This is going to be one of the greatest humanitarian crisis of all time. And Obama will do nothing.
…The losses are likely taking a toll on the Assad government, which has already lost more or less all of the nation’s oil assets, and has now lost gas fields vital to their electricity production, and phosphate mines that represented one of their last real marketable export products….
Washington will be pleased. All is going according to plan.
People should be aware that USA created ISIS by donating arms to syrian opposition.Now it is out of control but the straegy of USA is simple : let the ISIS take control of Syria in order to get rid of Assad, no matter about futute mass killing of local population and then intervene to put syrian opposition at the head of the syrian state.