Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Sends Fresh Reinforcement Forces to Southern, Western Aleppo

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

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

Aleppo

Military sources said on Thursday that the Syrian Army has dispatched a large number of forces and a large volume of military equipment to Southern and Western Aleppo to kick off an imminent anti-terrorism operation there.

The sources said that the army has forwarded a large number forces and a large volume of ammunition and arms from its bases in the cement factory and artillery academy near Aleppo city to the battlefield in al-Hadhar, al-Eis, Khalseh and al-Howeiz in Southern Aleppo to reinvigorate its forces’ combat capabilities for an imminent operation against the terrorists in the region.

The sources added that a large number of popular forces of Iraq’s al-Nujaba Movement have also been sent to al-Hadhar to take part in a pro-government assault South of Aleppo province.

They added that simultaneous with the dispatch of fresh forces, sporadic clashes erupted between the army soldiers and terrorists, while Russian fighter jets carried out three combat sorties over terrorists’ positions in the towns of Khan Touman, al-Zerbeh and Ma’arateh.

The sources said that the army assault is meant to end the terrorists’ siege on the Shiite towns of Fouaa and Kafraya by driving back the terrorist groups from their positions in the Western parts of Aleppo province.

Damascus

Differences among the terrorist groups have increased after their crushing defeats in the battle against the Syrian Army troops in Eastern Ghouta, local sources disclosed on Thursday.

Local sources said that disagreements and differences have intensified between the two groups of Al-Nusra Front (Fatah al-Sham Front) and Jeish al-Islam (that is mainly comprised of Al-Nusra) on one hand and Faylaq al-Rahman on the other hand in Eastern Ghouta.

A Syrian source, meantime, underscored collapse of Al-Nusra Front in al-Qaboun district Northeast of the capital, Damascus, adding that although al-Qaboun is of paramount importance for the terrorists, they have held several meetings in the last few days to find a way to conclude an agreement for their relocation or surrender to pave the ground for joining peace with the Syrian government.

In the meantime, terrorist groups violated the ceasefire and targeted Damascus with a number of rockets, while several cases of clashes took place between the army soldiers and terrorists in a region between Hawsh al-Zawahereh and Haraza near Douma city.

Hama-Idlib

Syrian Army troops and Air Force targeted again the positions and movements of the ISIL and Al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib, killing and wounding over 70 terrorists.

The army aircraft hit ISIL’s concentration centers in the villages of Albu’izeh, Qalib al-Thowar and al-Lubideh in Hama, killing and wounding over 40 terrorists and destroying seven military vehicles equipped with 23mm machineguns.

In the meantime, the army units targeted terrorists’ positions in al-Latamina town in Northern Hama, killing six terrorists and destroying an arms depot and several vehicles.

The army soldiers also targeted Al-Nusra’s positions in Kafr Zita town and al-Sayad village in Northern Hama, killing 13 terrorists and wounding 15 others.

Local sources in Northern Hama said that six terrorists were killed and seven more were wounded in an army attack in al-Masaseneh village East of Morek town in Northern Hama.

Meanwhile, the army soldiers hit Al-Nusra’s centers hard near the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Southern Idlib, killing five terrorists.

Raqqa

The predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued to advance against ISIL in Northeastern Syria and managed to deploy forces near the Euphrates River between the cities of Raqqa and Deir Ezzur.

The SDF continued its anti-ISIL operation codenamed the Euphrates Rage in the Abu Khashab front and deployed troops in the Euphrates River and closed off ISIL’s supply lines from Deir Ezzur province and Iraq’s territories to Eastern Raqqa.

The SDF forces had previously cut off the main road connecting Raqqa to Deir Ezzur.

In the meantime, the Kurdish fighters engaged in heavy fighting with ISIL and drove them out of al-Kabr village and Mankher Qarbi strategic hill 19km East of Raqqa city.

A military source pointed to the closure of ISIL’s supply road from Raqqa to Deir Ezzur, saying ISIL is now under the Kurdish forces’ siege from the Northern and Eastern directions, while the SDF has reached the regions near the town of al-Tabaqa and the Euphrates dam in Western Raqqa.

Homs

A Russian delegation and representatives of militants held a meeting over a new peace agreement between the Damascus government and militant groups in al-Wa’er settlement, Arab media outlets reported on Thursday.

The Arabic language al-Hadath reported that the Russian delegation and militants’ representatives explored new avenues to reach a new peace agreement in al-Wa’er settlement and region.

If terrorists do not violate the new peace plan, the army will end its operation in al-Wa’er, al-Hadath added.

In the meantime, Sputnik reported that the Free Syrian Army militant group has agreed to cease fire in the al-Wa’er region.

Osama Abu Zeid, a representative of the Syrian armed opposition, announced in a statement his group’s agreement with the new peace plan, the statement said.

The document was signed in al-Waer, the statement said.