On Friday morning, the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) launched a surprise attack on the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) at the Khalkhalah Airbase and its checkpoints in northwest As-Sweida.

Initially, ISIS was successful in breaching the PLA-controlled checkpoint located northeast of the airbase, killing 17 confirmed soldiers and wounding another 11 before SAA reinforcements rushed to the scene to repel the enemy combatants from advancing further.

Upon their arrival, the SAA delivered a decisive blow to the ISIS militants besieging the airbase, while Syrian Arab Air Forces Hind Helicopters attacked the militant reinforcements pouring in from Al-Lijat.

According to a military source, the SAA and PLA killed a confirmed 68 ISIS fighters, including militants from Tunisia, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Chechnya.

The battle lasted 8 hours in total, but proved to be a vital defeat for ISIS, due to the SAA’s counter-attack to take control of the road leading to the Khalkhalah Airbase from Al-Lijat on the border of the Dara’a Governorate.