Clashes rage between Syrian forces, IS militants in Homs

Intense clashes raged Tuesday between the Syrian government troops and the Islamic State (IS) militants near a military base and gas wells in the country's central province of Homs, a monitoring group said.

The clashes raged between the warring sides at the Kherbat al-Tayyas area southwest of the military airbase in the province amid confirmed reports that the Syrian troops recaptured Kherbat al-Tayyas from the IS fighters, Xinhua reported citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Right.

The observatory said the clashes also renewed Tuesday between the IS and the government troops near the al-Shaer gasfield and the Jahar gas wells in the eastern countryside of Homs, and added that the Syrian air force struck the conflict areas in tandem with shelling by the Syrian ground troops.

The IS has unleashed an offensive to recapture the al-Shaer gasfield after losing it to the Syrian troops three months ago.

The terror group's fighters also attacked the Jahar gas wells in recent days amid reports that large chunks of both sites have fallen to the IS, which prompted the Syrian troops to unleash a great firepower to wrest back control over the key gas wells and the field.

The IS has also attempted to attack an air base in recent days but their attempts were foiled by the air base forces.

The IS has been focusing its attacks in Syria in oil-rich areas, capturing almost all of the oil fields in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour near the Iraqi borders.