Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Makes New Gains in Damascus Province

The army units drove back the al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board) terrorists from key regions in Southwestern Damascus after destroying the defense lines of terrorists there.

The Syrian troops killed several terrorists and injured many more in fierce clashes over controlling of the strategic regions. They also destroyed military equipment of the terrorists.

The Syrian army also continued its advances in other key provinces across Syria.

Damascus

The Syrian army troops regained control over one of the terrorists’ key bases in Southwestern Damascus after the al-Nusra Front violated an earlier agreement to leave the region.

Field sources reported on Thursday that the army units entered the village of Mughur al-Mir and retook control of the region, one kilometer away from Beit Jin farm, after the militants refrained from leaving Southwestern Damascus.

Also, a member of Alviyeh al-Forqan’s media center, Mohammad Zamol, underlined that the army has cut off all roads used by the terrorists to transfer goods and weapons after taking back control of Mughur al-Mir.

Meantime, a field source said that the army has given the terrorists a 72-hour deadline to leave the region towards Idlib and Dara’a along with their personal weapons.

Lattakia

The Grad missiles fired by the Al-Nusra Front were blown up by the air defense systems deployed in the Russians’ airbase in Humeimim.

The Arabic-language Moraseloun news website reported on Wednesday that the Russian forces stationed in Humeimim airbase intercepted the Grad missiles, using the Pantsir defense shield. The missiles were fired against the villages near Jabalah region in Lattakia province.

The missiles were fired by the terrorists from Badama region in Southwestern Idlib and were destroyed over Jabalah airspace.

The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria announced earlier in December that the country’s forces deployed in Humeimim Airbase in Lattakia province will take part in military operations against the Al-Nusra Front in Idlib province.

“Our international partners are committed to root out the Al-Nusra terrorist organization, in the meantime, the Russia Air Force is committed to take part in the campaign against the Al-Nusra with its forces in Humeimim airbase,” The Russian Center said.

The center said that Washington is insisting on regime change in Syria, adding, “The US officials’ recent remarks over their intention to remain in Syria have increased our worries.”

Hama

An underground base of the terrorists was destroyed during the Russian fighter jets’ airstrikes in Northern Hama, field sources said on Thursday, adding that a group of al-Nusra Front members were killed after their offensive was repelled by army forces.

The sources confirmed that the Russian fighters pounded the terrorists’ positions in al-Latamineh city in Northern Hama, blowing up one of their underground bases and killing all the militants inside.

Al-Latamineh is one of largest strongholds of the terrorists in Northern Hama which is full of tunnels and underground hideouts used by militants to store weapons and ammunition.

Meantime, the Syrian army units engaged in clashes with a group of al-Nusra terrorists who wanted to enter one of the army’s Northern bases from al-Baneh in Northern Hama.

The Syrian army troops killed all members of the group, including one of their commanders, namely Dibu Abdolrahman Othman al-Anbari, destroying their weapons and ammunition during the clashes.

The Syrian Army troops had further advanced against the Al-Nusra Front on Wednesday, capturing more positions in their push towards one of the main strongholds of the terrorist group in Northeastern Hama.

The army units stormed Al-Nusra’s defense lines in Northeastern Hama and captured the Old Air Defense Battalion Base and Tal (hill) Aswad in their push towards the small town of Abu Dali, a main terrorist stronghold in the region.

Also, the army’s artillery and missile units pounded the supply lines and movements of Al-Nusra in the villages of Sinjar, al-Zafar, al-Khowein, Tal Amarah, Tal Mardikh and Kafr Amim, killing tens of terrorists and destroying their military vehicles.

A military source, meantime, said that the army now overlooks al-Mosheirefeh and al-Dajaj region that are the last barriers in front of them to reach Abu Dali after they managed to take control over the Old Air Defense Battalion Base.

Deir Ezzur-Aleppo

Field sources confirmed on Thursday that over 160 gunmen that had laid down their weapons and joined peace with the Syrian army in Aleppo and Deir Ezzur provinces have received government amnesty.

The sources reported that 164 militants in Aleppo and the Eastern and Southern parts of Deir Ezzur had handed over their arms to the army soldiers and were pardoned by the Damascus government.

The gunmen received amnesty and returned to normal life, the sources said.

Local sources reported earlier in December that sum of 159 gunmen that laid down arms and endorsed peace with the Syrian Army received government amnesty in Hasaka province.

The sources said that a sum of 159 militants that handed over their weapons to the army men and signed the peace agreement with the government in Hasaka and its countryside received amnesty and returned to normal life within the framework of the nationwide reconciliation plan in Syria.

Also, 114 gunmen that had surrendered to the army and applied for amnesty in the town of Qamishli received pardon from Damascus and returned to normal life.

Idlib

The Syrian army has dispatched a large number of forces and equipment to Lattakia to open a new front towards Idlib, field sources said on Thursday.

The sources confirmed that the army has sent its forces and military equipment to the 5 regions of Nabi Younes, Zahiyeh, Kanasba, al-Qasatal and Shalaf castle in Lattakia.

Meantime, a large number of Syrian army soldiers have been dispatched to Masif Salami in Jabal al-Akrad in Lattakia in the past few days.

The field sources said that the army wants to open the strategic front of Jisr al-Shaqour in Western Idlib which is one of the main fronts towards Idlib by sending reinforcements to the region.

Jisr al-Shaqour is one of the strategic regions in Idlib which links Northern Syria to the coastal regions, and the Turkistani terrorists are stationed in that region.