At least 16 ISIL terrorists were killed in tough battle with the Syrian government troops in Jabal al-Shaer region in Eastern Homs.

The ISIL's military hardware were also razed down by the Syrian government troops in the clashes.

Earlier on Monday, military sources announced that at least 175 members of the ISIL were killed and many more were wounded in the Syrian Army troops' large-scale offensives in an oil-rich region in the Eastern part of Homs province.

"The Syrian Army and popular forces continued to advance against the ISIL terrorists near the al-Hail oilfield along Palmyra Deir-Ezzur highway, which ended in the killing of at least 175 militants and destruction of their military hardware in large scale," the sources said.

"The terrorists fleeing the battlefield of Eastern Homs to find safer shelters in Albu Kamal and then in Iraqi territories," the sources added.

Reports said earlier today that the Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces continued to push the ISIL back from more lands near the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) and restored security to vast plains near the newly-liberated mountains there.

The Syrian government forces, in hours of non-stop battle, forced the ISIL terrorists to retreat from the Southern plains of Jabal (mountain) al-Mketa'a and the plateau in the Western side of Antar mountain.

The ISIL left behind scores of the dead and wounded members and fled the battlefield; FNA reported.

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