26 Syrian soldiers killed

BEIRUT: At least 26 soldiers have been killed in an ambush by the militant Islamic State group in eastern Syria, a monitor said on Friday, the deadliest in a new wave of attacks blamed on the jihadists.

Despite losing their last piece of territory in Syria in 2019, IS has maintained hideouts in the vast Syrian desert from which it has carried out ambushes and hit-and-run attacks.

IS “members targeted a military bus” in Deir Ezzor province on Thursday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“The number of dead has risen to 26” soldiers, it said, calling it the extremists’ deadliest attack on government forces this year.