Meanwhile, Isis continues its horrific acts in the Middle East where reports say Islamic State (IS) fighters have captured the Syrian town of Maheen, in central Homs province, from government forces.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the jihadist group launched the offensive with two suicide car blasts late on Saturday.
Clashes are also taking place in nearby Sadad, a mostly-Christian town. The Observatory says at least 50 government soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting.
IS fighters seized the central city of Palmyra in May and have also made gains in Aleppo province in recent days.
The Observatory’s Rami Abdulrahman said the attack on Maheen may have been prompted by pressure IS is facing elsewhere in Syria.
“Daesh (Isis) always looks for advances against the regime after failures in the areas it controls in northern Syria,” he told Reuters
The latest development comes amid air campaigns in Syria by Russia and a US-led coalition.
The five major foreign players in the Syrian conflict – the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey – met in Vienna on October 30 and agreed to push for a ceasefire.
