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On August 1, the ISIS-linked news agency, Amaq, claimed that ISIS fighters destroyed 2 warplanes and 6 unnamed aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) during their attack on the Khalkhalah airbase in the northern al-Suwayda countryside.
Furthermore, the terrorist group said that more than 45 soldiers and officers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) were killed as a result of the attack.
A military source in the Khalkhalah airbase denied ISIS’ claims and told SouthFront that the SAA and the SyAAF didn’t lose any equipment during the attack on the airbase. He added that only four soldiers of the SAA were killed by the terrorist group’s fighters in the clashes.
Regarding the details of the attack, the source said that several fighters of ISIS, including suicide bombers, sneaked to an area near the airbase from their hideouts in the eastern al-Suwayda countryside. However, the SAA was able to detect and kill them all in perimeter of the airbase.
Currently, the SAA is massing its troops in the southeastern governorate of al-Suwayda and preparing to launch a large-scale military operation against the remaining fighters of ISIS in the eastern countryside, according to the source.
