Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Repels Terrorists’ Attack on Gov’t Positions in Hama Province

The terrorists’ offensive to capture the government forces’ positions in Khneifes region along al-Salamiyah-Homs road in Southeastern Hama was repelled by the strong counterattacks of the Syrian army troops.

The army units killed and wounded several terrorists in the clashes.

Meantime, the Syrian army and popular forces continued their military advances in other parts of Syria, including Damascus, over the past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army’s operations in other provinces across Syria.

Hama

The Syrian Army troops warded off a heavy offensive of Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board) in a region along a road connecting the town of al-Salamiyah to Homs.

The army men exchanged fire with Al-Nusra who tried to capture Khneifes region along al-Salamiyah-Homs road in Southeastern Hama and repelled their attack after killing and wounding a number of the terrorists.

Field sources reported that the remaining pockets of Al-Nusra were forced to retreat under heavy fire of the army men.

Field sources confirmed earlier on Monday that the army troops stormed the positions of Al-Nusra Front in Northeastern Hama and Southeastern Idlib, forcing the terrorist group to pull fighters back from more regions.

The sources said that the army men engaged in heavy fighting with Al-Nusra and captured two strategic hills in Jadou’a and al-Za’atar in Northeastern Hama.

The sources added that the army men further imposed control over the village of al-Jadou’a in Southeastern Idlib.

The army’s engineering units started to defuse bombs and landmines planted by the terrorists in the region as soon as militants withdrew from their positions.

Dara’a

A senior commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been assassinated after a new round of tensions erupted between the FSA and ISIL terrorists in Western Dara’a in Southern Syria, dissident-affiliated websites reported on Monday.

The websites reported that one of the field commanders of the FSA-affiliated Ankhal Shohada Brigade was gunned down by unknown attackers in the town of Jasim in Western Dara’a, adding that another commander was injured in the shooting.

The websites further said that the FSA engaged in heavy infighting with ISIL in the town of Saham al-Joulan in Western Dara’a.

In the meantime, the FSA-affiliated groups gave a month to the ISIL terrorists deployed in Hawz al-Yarmouk to cut relations with the ISIL and join the FSA.

Idlib

The Al-Nusra Front is seeking a new strategy to face the Syrian Army troops as the government forces are advancing rapidly towards the main stronghold of terrorists in Southern Idlib, well-informed sources reported on Monday.

The sources said that the army men managed to prevail over the Al-Nusra positions in Um Jalal region after the pro-government forces captured the village of al-Khowein al-Kabir in Southeastern Idlib.

The sources said that the army men have significantly advanced in the depth of Al-Nusra’s positions and have decreased their distance to the militant-held towns and settlements in Idlib, deploying 5 km away from al-Tamanna, 8 km away from Khan Sheikhoun and 13 km away from Jarjnaz.

In the meantime, Jeish al-Izzah Spokesman Mustafa Ma’arati acknowledged the terrorists’ heavy defeats in the battle against the army, adding that the militant groups are seeking another strategy to slow down the army’s advances in Idlib.

Field sources reported earlier on Monday that “over 2,000 terrorists are present in the battlefields” in Hama and Idlib province to face the advancing Syrian Army troops.

The sources said that over 2,000 militants have been dispatched to Northeastern Hama and Southeastern Idlib to face the army troops that are advancing in the region.

The sources further said that most of the terrorists have deployed in their key bases in Morek, al-Latamina, Kafr Zita and Khan Sheikhoun.

Damascus

The Syrian Army has deployed modernized anti-aircraft systems at an important military base in Southern countryside of Damascus city, military sources conformed on Monday.

The sources said that the Syrian air defense forces have deployed several heavily-modified S-125 Pechora batteries (a Soviet-designed system originally built in the 1960s) to the Marj Ruhayyil airbase South of Damascus city.

The modernized variant in question is reportedly the M2 version of the S-125 Pechora, which in addition to having an improved kill probability record, is technically capable of tracking and intercepting low-flying cruise missiles.

The upgrading of the Marj Ruhayyil base’s local air defense network is likely a response to the increased number of air attacks carried out by Israeli warplanes against Syrian military assets in the province of Damascus and neighboring regions over the course of 2017.