The Syrian Army, backed by Russian special forces, has launched a wide-scale offensive against the Islamic State militants in the Syrian desert following a series of attacks conducted by the terror group, Al-Masdar News reports.

According to a military source, the offensive began by attacking bases and locations for IS in the Hamimah area located east of Palmyra.

The military campaign is heavily supported by Syrian as well as Russian air force, which conducted several airstrikes targeting sites for the terror group.

This comes after IS militants carried out deadly attacks against the Syrian Army, killing and injuring several troops.

Photos released by ANNA NEWS show Russian special forces deployed to the battlefield area in the Syrian desert.