MESOP Syria Daily: Islamic State Takes More Gas Fields from Regime

May 09 –  by Scott Lucas – eaworldvoew – In their second notable victory in a week, the Islamic State captured more gas fields in central Syria from the Assad regime on Sunday.On Wednesday, ISIS took the al-Sha’ar gas fields near Palmyra in eastern Homs Province, capturing large amounts of regime armored vehicles, rocket launchers, other weapons, and ammunition. The Syrian army’s counter-attack was repelled on Friday night, and the jihadists took the nearby Jabal al-Sha’ar mountains.

Yesterday the Islamic State moved into the al-Mahr gas fields in northeastern Homs. It held the position despite reported Syrian and Russian airstrikes and the claimed presence of the regime’s elite Tiger Forces.The Assad regime has lost most of its oil and gas fields during the Syrian conflict, many of them to ISIS. However, pro-Assad forces had retaken territory from the Islamic State this spring, notably the Roman-era city of Palmyra in late March. The latest ISIS fightback came as the regime and Russia pursued a high-profile PR offensive to celebrate control of Palmyra, including a concert by a Russian orchestra.