Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Sends Fresh Elite Forces to Eastern Damascus

The deployment took place with the aim of reinvigorating the combat and defense capabilities of the Syrian army in Eastern Ghouta in Damascus province.

Meantime, the Syrian army continued its military advances in other parts of Syria, including Idlib, over past 24 hours.

Damascus

Field sources reported that the Syrian Army had forwarded a large number of especial forces and more equipment to Eastern Ghouta on Tuesday to join their comrades’ anti-terrorism operation in the region.

The sources said that clashes were underway between the army men and terrorists in Harasta region for several days, adding that the army has sent a large number of elite forces and a large volume of military hardware from Beit Jinn region in Southwestern Damascus to Eastern Ghouta.

The sources further said that the army is planning to carry out fresh operations against terrorists, fortify their positions near Harasta and restore more sustainable security to the region.

Earlier reports said that the army units engaged in heavy fighting with terrorists in the town of Arbin after the latter group attacked the pro-government forces’ positions in the Military-Technical Institute near the Vehicles Management Center near the town of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta.

Also, the army’s artillery and missile units and aircraft pounded terrorists’ movements and positions in Harasta and the Vehicles Management Center.

In the meantime, a field source said that Ahrar al-Sham, Faylaq al-Rahman, Jeish al-Islam and Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board) had participated in the attack on army positions in the Vehicles Management Center but failed and suffered major losses.

They added that the army has killed over 30 terrorists in the last three days of clashes in Harasta.

Idlib

The Syrian Army troops hit again the positions of Al-Nusra Front in Southern Idlib and captured more regions on Tuesday.

The army men pushed Al-Nusra back from the villages of Rasm Sham al-Hawa North of the village of Abu Omar and al-Zarzur West of Rasm Sham al-Hawa.

Also, the army’s artillery and missile units pounded Al-Nusra’s movements and positions in the towns of al-Latamina and Morek, killing several militants.

In the meantime, the Syrian Air Forces carried out several rounds of combat flights over Al-Nusra’s gathering centers in al-Tamanna, Skeik and in the outskirts of the small town of Abu Dali, destroying several positions and killing a large number of militants.

Well-informed sources reported earlier that the Al-Nusra Front was seeking a new strategy to face the Syrian Army troops as the government forces were advancing rapidly towards the main stronghold of terrorists in Southern Idlib.

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.

Dara’a

Two groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) clashed with each other after one of the FSA field commanders was killed in Northern Dara’a, local sources reported on Tuesday.

The sources said that Liwa Houran and Liwa Enkhal, two groups of the FSA terrorists, exchanged fire in Salmin region near the town of Enkhel.

The sources said that the infighting erupted after Zaher al-Zamel, one of the commanders of Liwa Ankhal, was killed by Yaser al-Badi’eh, the commander of Liwa Houran.

The sources further said that Liwa Enkhel has forwarded more fighters and equipment to Samlin and curfew has been declared in the town of Enkhel.

Dissident-affiliated websites reported on Monday that a senior commander of the Free Syrian Army was assassinated after a new round of tensions erupted between the FSA and the ISIL terrorists in Western Dara’a in Southern Syria.

The websites reported that one of the field commanders of the FSA-affiliated Ankhal Shohada Brigadd 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.