MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Syria’s pro-government forces have thwarted an attack in the Al-Tanf zone, controlled by the so-called international anti-terrorism coalition, Oleg Gurinov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria (a division of the Russian defense ministry), said on Friday.

"At 11:30 p.m. Moscow time on May 18, 2023, servicemen from an outpost of the 134th armored brigade of the Syrian armed forces spotted a group of militants driving three pickup trucks west of Mount Tell Al Tuwayed in an attempt to sneak out of the Al Tanf zone," he said. "When Syria’s government troops opened fire, the group scurried away into coalition-controlled territory near the Sloubi Valley."

According to Gurinov, this incident demonstrated once again that the international coalition had failed to fulfill its commitment to control the Al-Tanf zone and prevent radical groups from committing terror attacks.