DAMASCUS, June 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 70 militants with the Islamic State (IS) group were killed over the past 24 hours by Syrian army airstrikes on their positions in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, state TV reported on Saturday.
The Syrian airstrikes and artillery shelling targeted the IS positions in four areas in the countryside of Deir al-Zour, said the report.
It added that IS artilleries and a tank were also destroyed.
The Syrian army has recently unleashed the "Great Dawn" military operation against IS in the Syrian desert, mainly in Deir al-Zour countryside, and the countryside of the ancient city of Palmyra.
The operation raised the ire of the U.S., which has forces and a military base in Tanf area in the Syrian desert close to the Iraqi borders.
The U.S. warned the Syrian army from advancing further in the desert, but the military forces backed by Shiite fighters of Hezbollah proceeded in their campaign, capturing key areas from IS.
