Orient Net, 26 June 2017—  Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters controlled on Monday (June 26) new military points in the Syrian Desert after a surprise attack against Iran-backed Shia militias.

Osoud al-Sharqiya opposition fighting group announced on its social media accounts controlling Rajm al-Sarihi in Beer al-Qasab area in the Syrian Desert after clashes with Assad terrorists and their backing Shia foreign militias.

Opposition fighters destroyed an Assad T72 tank and a number of other military vehicles. They also killed a number of Assad and Hezbollah terrorists and seized light and medium weapons, according to Osoud al-Sharqiya.

Meanwhile, Assad or Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes on the areas where the clashes were taking place. The strikes used internationally-prohibited weapons, including vacuum, cluster and white phosphorus bombs.

These developments come days after the US-led international coalition issued a statement saying that a US jet downed a combat drone which was advancing towards the coalition’s land troops near al-Tanf base, few kilometers away from the tri-border area between Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The drone was of type Shahed 129, made by Iran, according to the statement.