The source said the terrorists launched an attack on a Homs-Sha'irat stretch of highway at around 23:00 GMT and held their territory for over an hour until the arrival of reinforcements.
"Is it a coincidence that the IS [Daesh] fighters attacked one of the defensive positions of the Homs-Palmyra route simultaneously with the US attack on Sha'irat?" the source said.
The US launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha'irat near Homs late Thursday. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Idlib on Tuesday, which Washington blames on Damascus.