Syrian regime has enhanced the mounting power of its allied militias with Gazelle helicopters in the Syrian desert, sources said, after reaching the eastern border with Iraq for the first time since 2015.
The French helicopters that commonly used for light transport, scouting and light attack duties have been deployed in Tayfour (Tiyas) and al-Seen (Sayqal) military airports east of Damascus in the desert, known also as the Badiya.
This week, Iran-backed pro-regime militias have seized hold more than a fifth of the country's strategic desert, the army said.
Al "Badiya" extends over some 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) from central Syria to the borders with Iraq and Jordan to the east and southeast.
Since 2015, much of the Badiya has been held by ISIS, but the regime army has been chipping away at it for months.
Last Friday, they reached the country's eastern frontier with Iraq for the first time in two years.
On Wednesday, U.S. troops based in Syria's southeastern desert have expanded their footprint, rebels there say, increasing the risk of direct ground confrontation between the Americans and Iran-backed forces
