ISIL launches counterattack against Kurds and government forces in Syria

Reuters:

Islamic State fighters launched simultaneous attacks against the Syrian government forces and Kurdish militia, moving back onto the offensive after losing ground in recent days to Kurdish-led forces near the capital of their "caliphate".

After losses to the Kurds backed by U.S.-led air strikes, Islamic State sought to retake the initiative with incursions into the Kurdish-held town of Kobani at the Turkish border and government-held areas of Hasaka city in the northeast.

In a separate offensive in the multi-sided Syrian civil war an alliance of rebels in the south of the country also launched an attack with the aim of driving government forces from the city of Deraa.

The attacks by Islamic State follow a rapid advance by Kurdish-led forces deep into the hardline group's territory, to within 50 km (30 miles) of its de facto capital Raqqa, hailed as a success by Washington.

The dual assaults on government forces in Hasaka and Deraa - both provincial capitals - are a test of Assad's resolve to hold out in remote outposts beyond the western area of the country seen as the top priority for his survival.
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This tends to be the way ISIL deals with set backs.  It goes on the offensive even when it is losing.  It is reminiscent of the Germans Battle of the Bulge operations in World War II.   The problem with such operations is that when they fail, they usually lead to a collapse of defenses elsewhere.  It could lead to a Kurdish attack on Raqqa.