Damascus, Nov 13 (IANS) Islamic State cells have intensified attacks in eastern Syria’s Deir al-Zour province, striking two oil tankers in separate incidents on Thursday as Syrian authorities widen counterterrorism operations across the country, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Interior Ministry.

The Britain-based war monitor said suspected Islamic State gunmen opened fire on a tank truck in the village of al-Tayyahki, north of Deir al-Zour, damaging the vehicle but causing no casualties. In a second attack in the nearby town of al-Shahil, gunmen targetted a tank truck, wounding its driver.

The Observatory said the incidents were part of a growing wave of Islamic State activities in the eastern Euphrates region, where sleeper cells have staged ambushes, bombings, and assassinations in recent months, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since the start of 2025, the group has carried out 215 attacks in areas held by the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in eastern and northeastern Syria, killing 97 people, including 68 members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and allied units, 13 IS fighters, 15 civilians, and one SDF collaborator, the monitor said.

Syria’s security authorities on Thursday released video footage showing security forces conducting raids on suspected IS hideouts across several provinces as part of a nationwide counterterrorism campaign launched last week.

The ministry said the operations, coordinated with the General Intelligence Directorate, were based on “precise intelligence monitoring” and aimed to dismantle IS networks and arrest militants. It gave no details on arrests or casualties.

The crackdown follows a visit to the United States by Syria’s interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa for talks focused on joint efforts to combat remaining Islamic State cells in the Syrian desert and eastern regions.

–IANS

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