Photo: Sputnik/ Michael Alaeddin

The Syrian armed forces have thwarted the terrorists’ attempt to seize a military airfield in Syria’s northeastern Deir-az-Zor province, killing 25 attackers and wounding many others, Russian media reported Friday.

“The airfield’s defenders beat back the attack coming from eastern, northeastern and southeastern directions, killing 25 of them,” a military source told RIA Novosti news agency.

“A series of airstrikes by the Syrian air force helped the army to repel the enemy attack and then counterattack, seizing several villages outside the airbase,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Most of the Deir-az-Zor province remains under the terrorists’ control and the local airbase is the government forces’ main stronghold there.

The militants make regular attempts to storm the base using explosives-laden trucks and armor.

The latest such attack in September lasted for 15 hours, but the Syrian garrison, backed by aviation, has successfully been repelling all enemy attacks and driving out the ISIL fighters holed up in the nearby villages.