On 20 June, 11 Syrian government soldiers and two bus drivers were killed in an ambush by ISIS militants, targeting Syrian Army buses transporting soldiers on the highway in the Al-Jira area.[5][1] The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for this attack.[6]
On 21 June, three Syrian government soldiers were killed and three others were injured after IS fighters attacked a temporary military outpost in the Jabal Al-Bishri desert on the administrative boundary between Raqqa and Deir az-Zour provinces in northeastern Syria under the cover of a sandstorm.[7][8]
On 22 June, late in the day, clashes began between government and IS forces in the Jabal Al-Bishri desert, following aerial bombardment in the area by Russianwarplanes, targeting IS positions. These clashes continued into the next day, leaving at least 9 Syrian soldiers and 7 IS fighters dead.[9][2]
SOHR reported that on 24 June, in response to the clashes, Syrian government forces launched large-scale combing operations in the area to find and eliminate IS cells in the region.[10]