DAMASCUS, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian forces and allied fighters have unleashed an offensive against remnants of the Islamic State (IS) fighters scattered in the desert region near the Iraqi border, a monitor group reported on Tuesday.

The Syrian forces and allies unleashed an offensive against IS in the desert region between Deir al-Zour and Homs provinces toward the Iraqi border, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The offensive started from the al-Saroukh hill south of the town of Shola in the countryside of Deir al-Zour to areas in the desert northwest of the U.S.-run base of al-Tanf in the al-Tanf area on the Syrian-Iraqi border, said the Observatory.

The watchdog group said the attack started on Monday and continued on Tuesday to eliminate the remnants of the IS fighters in the last slivers of territory the IS holds in the desert.

It added that the Syrian forces have advanced and combed large tracts of areas from IS during the offensive.

A day earlier, an intense confrontation took place between IS and the Syrian army in the eastern countryside of Homs, mainly in the desert of Palmyra and al-Sukhneh town, said the Observatory.

Meanwhile, the state news agency SANA said the Syrian army is advancing in the fight against IS in the Tulol al-Safa area on the provincial border between Damascus and the southern province of Sweida.

SANA said the Syrian Air Force and artillery are backing the ground forces in their push to defeat IS in the Tulol al-Safa hills, the last IS stronghold in the desert of Sweida.

The IS militants are taking advantage of the geographic nature of the area as it contains caves and rocky cliffs.

The state news agency said the army is advancing to completely liberate the desert of Sweida from terrorism.