BEIRUT, January 29. /TASS/. US forces controlling the 55-kilometer-long Al Tanf zone at the junction of the Syrian, Iraqi and Jordanian borders are facilitating the infiltration of militants from the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) into territories controlled by Syrian government forces, the Syrian newspaper Al Watan reported.

According to it, IS terrorists, aided by the US, are moving from Al Tanf to various parts of the Syrian desert, where they are carrying out sabotage attacks against the Syrian army and allied formations.

According to Al Watan’s sources, there has been a "clear increase in the activity" of the IS in the Syrian Desert recently, especially after Israeli Defense Forces launched their operation in the Gaza Strip. Thus, IS supporters carried out about 212 attacks on the Syrian military in 2023. In the first three weeks of this year alone, there have already been about 40 such attacks. The sources claim that Washington is trying to strengthen the position of the IS in Syria as US President Joe Biden is considering the possibility of a full pullout of US troops from the country. To this end, the US is supporting the militants by training them and providing them with logistical assistance, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, according to the newspaper, Syria’s government forces jointly with the Russian Armed Forces continue to carry out intensive strikes on IS hideouts in the Syrian Desert, as a result of which the militants suffer significant losses in manpower.

Earlier, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told TASS in an interview about "a surge in terrorist activity supported by the United States" in Syria. According to him, its main source "is currently located in the 55-kilometer-long Al Tanf zone controlled by the US," where "active training of the Syrian armed opposition, ISIS (former name of the IS - TASS) fighters continues, who are then sent to Syrian territory with certain tasks.".