35 people were killed as a result of two attacks launched by militants of the Islamic State organization Sunday in Syria , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory reported, in a new toll, that 31 people were killed while collecting truffles in central Syria as a result of an attack launched by gunmen affiliated with ISIS cells, and four shepherds were killed in the countryside of Deir Ezzor in a separate attack.

The Observatory reported in a previous toll today that at least 26 people were killed during the attack, and the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported in a similar toll, "26 citizens were killed in an attack carried out by the terrorist organization ISIS on the people while they were collecting truffles in the eastern countryside of Hama."

The Observatory spoke about the killing of "civilians and military personnel as a result of an armed attack on them while they were collecting truffles in the Duizen area, east of Hama, in the center of the country," explaining that 12 of the dead were fighters loyal to the regime.

SANA quoted a police source as saying that the militants of the organization "attacked a group of people who were collecting truffles in lands" in the eastern countryside of Hama.

In a separate incident, four shepherds were killed and two were kidnapped while grazing sheep in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, during an attack by gunmen, whom the Observatory believes are affiliated with cells of the Islamic State.

He added that the gunmen were "riding motorcycles with automatic weapons" and stole the entire flock of sheep.

During its control of large areas in Syria, starting in 2014, the Islamic State took control of several towns and villages in the eastern countryside of Hama, before it was expelled from it in 2017.

Since the start of the truffle collection season in February, the organization has repeatedly launched attacks targeting workers in the vast Syrian desert, punctuated by shootings and kidnappings.

The death toll as a result of the organization’s attacks in the Syrian Desert since the beginning of the year has reached more than 230 people, most of them civilians, according to the Observatory.

Despite the risks, residents of the areas bordering the Syrian Badia continue to collect truffles, whose season lasts until April and are sold at a high price, which explains the demand for collecting them in light of difficult economic conditions with a war that has been going on for more than 12 years.

The price of one kilogram generally ranges between five and $25 dollars, according to the quality and size of the fruits.

On March 24, 15 people were killed while collecting truffles as a result of an attack launched by the organization in central Syria, according to the Observatory. Also, in mid-February, 68 people were killed while collecting truffles as a result of an attack launched by the extremist organization in the eastern countryside of Homs.

On April 4, a prominent leader of the Islamic State, responsible for planning attacks in Europe, was killed in a strike launched by US forces in northwestern Syria, according to what was announced by the US Army's Central Command, Centcom.

The commander of the Central Command, Michael Korella, said in a statement that the US forces "launched a unilateral strike in northwestern Syria, which resulted in the death of Khaled Iyad Ahmed al-Jubouri, a prominent leader" in the organization.

Despite the strikes targeting its leaders, movements, and locations, the organization is still able to launch attacks and carry out sporadic attacks, especially in eastern and northeastern Syria, and in the vast Syrian desert.

Since 2011, Syria has been witnessing a bloody and complex conflict, which has caused the death of more than half a million people, massive destruction of infrastructure, and the displacement of more than half of the population inside and outside the country.