The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group said Sunday it had carried out a series of 16 air strikes in Syria on its main stronghold, Raqqa, calling this one of its largest assaults in Syria so far.
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USA officials said the air strikes in Raqqa city over the weekend were some of the most intense to date against Islamic State in Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reports on the war, said Daesh forces had taken the town and areas around it some 50km north of Raqqa city.
At least 16 airstrikes were reported late Saturday and early Sunday, triggering successive explosions in that shook the city and created panic among residents, activists said.
Extremists have made Raqqa, which sits on the banks of the Euphrates River, the de facto capital of their self-declared Islamic State, which stretches across large areas of Syria and Iraq.
In Syria’s Qalamun region, regime forces backed by fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement advanced against rebels in an operation to capture the town of Zabadani.
On Thursday, IS said its militants had destroyed six archaeological pieces from Palmyra that were confiscated from a smuggler.
There was no independent confirmation of the casualties.
The group added that dozens of others were also wounded.
The network, called Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered, said at least one air strike targeted a group of Isis members in the city centre.
Meanwhile, IS suicide bombers detonated an explosives-laden truck near a power plant in the remote northeastern city of Hassakeh.
Warplanes reportedly targeted Islamic State buildings and supply routes into the city.
The militants recently launched a fresh attempt to seize the regime-held section of the city, which is partly controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces.
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The Kurdish YPG militia said it was fighting to expel Daesh fighters who had attacked the town of Ain Issa, which was only captured from them two weeks ago. Fighting has raged there in recent days, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.
