Islamic State Moves West to Attack Syrian Army in Homs: Monitor

Islamic State fighters attacked a military airport in Syria's Homs province on Monday as they pushed on with an offensive against government strongholds towards the west, a monitoring group said. Skirmishes by Islamic State -- which is strongest in the northeast and east -- into the provinces of Hama, Homs and even Damascus pose a fresh challenge for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. MORALE-BOOSTING OFFENSIVE Observatory head Rami Abdulrahman, said 74 soldiers in Hama had been killed by Islamic State, which he speculated launched both attacks to raise morale after losses to Kurdish forces in the northeast. A U.S-led coalition is bombarding Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq.