Russian warplanes on Friday struck targets in eastern parts of Hama province, southern battlefronts in Aleppo province, and parts of the regime bastion of Latakia province, the Observatory said.
Despite the strikes on Aleppo, ISIS jihadists cut off a key regime supply route between there and Homs to the south, Abdel Rahman said.
The jihadists are fighting government forces near Aleppo, around the Kweyris military airport, and along the vital route, which the regime uses to send reinforcements north from Homs province.
“ISIS first seized 12 kilometres of the road before being pushed back, and they now control at least five or six kilometres,” Abdel Rahman told AFP.
He said at least 16 ISIS fighters had been killed but that he did not have information on government casualties.
A military source told AFP the road had been cut “during an attack by Daesh fighters at dawn,” using the Arabic acronym for the group.
He said troops had withdrawn from six points along the battlefront and were waiting for reinforcements from other areas.
ISIS said in a statement online that it “cut the regime’s supply route to Aleppo” by seizing eight checkpoints along the road, after beginning its assault with two suicide bombers.
Abdel Rahman said the two sides were still locked in intense clashes, with Russian air cover backing the army.
Late on Thursday, more than a dozen Russian raids on the ISIS stronghold of Raqa city killed at least 18 people, 11 of them jihadists, said the Observatory.
“Seven civilians, including two children, were killed in strikes by Russian planes,” and 11 ISIS members were killed in raids on several ISIS bases in the city, the monitor said.
It added that more than 30 people were wounded.
Russia has been criticised by rebel groups and their backers for targeting non-jihadist groups and inflicting civilian casualties, and has been accused of hitting hospitals and field clinics.
Moscow has dismissed previous reports by the Observatory of civilian casualties from its bombings as “fake”.
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