Car bomb goes off in Syria's Deir al-Zour

A car bomb went off in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour on Saturday, leaving unknown losses, pro-government Sham FM radio reported.

The car exploded near the Furat al-Sham Hotel in the city of Deir al-Zour, said the report, providing no further details.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said intense battles raged on Saturday between the Syrian army and the Islamic State (IS) militants.

The UK-based watchdog said 26 Syrian soldiers were killed when the IS militants infiltrated the areas southwest of Deir al-Zour, after which the militants captured a hospital.

The Syrian army has besieged the hospital amid ongoing clashes.

A military source said that the Syrian warplanes have struck the positions of IS in the vicinity of the Deir al-Zour airbase, which has also been a target of the recent IS attacks.

Source: XINHUA