Twenty-three Syrian soldiers were killed and 10 others wounded early on Friday when Islamic State (IS) militants ambushed a military bus in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

The IS militants attacked the bus in the desert region of al-Mayadeen City in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, said a war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The United Kingdom-based watchdog group said the IS militants prepared the ambush and opened fire on the bus with light and medium-sized weapons.

The Syrian army was on alert in the desert region, searching for soldiers who had gone missing, while the attackers disappeared into the desert, as reported by the observatory.

The army confirmed the incident in its statement but did not provide information about the death toll.

According to the observatory, the IS had intensified its attacks in the desert region, noting that 387 people, mainly soldiers, have been killed by the IS in the desert since the beginning of 2023. 

(Xinhua/NAN)