Syria in Last 24 Hours: Russian Warplanes Pound ISIL’s Strongholds in Deir Ezzur

The ISIL terrorist group sustained heavy losses in the Russian airstrikes in Eastern Deir Ezzur.

The sources said that the fighter jets targeted and destroyed a main position of the ISIL terrorists on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River.

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

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

Deir Ezzur

The Russian Air Force carried out a heavy bombardment on ISIL’s positions in the Euphrates River Valley in Eastern Deir Ezzur, inflicting major losses on the terrorist group near the border with Iraq.

The sources said that the fighter jets targeted and destroyed a main position of the ISIL terrorists on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River, field sources reported on Tuesday.

The report added the ISIL suffered heavy casualties as a result of the Russian attack.

Rumors were spread on Monday that the US had bombed the Syrian Army’s positions in Eastern Deir Ezzur; however, a military source told the MNA that the attack never occurred.

The alleged US attack on the Syrian Army was likely confused with the Russian assault on ISIL’s positions in Eastern Deir Ezzur.

Field sources said on Tuesday that the US had established a new base in Southeastern Deir Ezzur and dispatched weapons and military equipment to the region, as Russia warned of American forces’ possible attack on Syrian army positions.

The sources said that the US forces built a new and advanced military base in al-Omar oilfield in Southeastern Deir Ezzur, adding that they also transferred a large volume of arms and equipment, including missiles, military vehicles and bridge equipment to the regions of their deployment in Koniko oilfield, al-Omar oilfield and al-Jafreh.

Meantime, the Washington-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sent a number of their forces to the regions near the Syrian army positions in the villages of Jiya, Salehiyeh and al-Tabiyeh.

Moscow had earlier warned the Syrian forces of a possible US assault on their positions.

Damascus

The Syrian Army troops managed to free thousands of civilians and military personnel jailed by Jeish al-Islam in Douma region in Eastern Ghouta, a military source said on Tuesday.

The source said that information about the repentance jail is partially confidential, but it can be confirmed that this prison was not the only one in Douma.

There were hundreds of women and children inmates from the town of Adra that was captured by terrorists in December 2013, the sources said.

Adra is one of the largest industrial zones in the suburbs of Damascus.

In December 2013, militants seized the zone and massacred civilians while many were held captive.

According to the source, there were 3,500 inmates in Jeish al-Islam’s prison. The terrorists used them as a human shield to put pressure on the Syrian army, which did everything possible to save the lives of the people of the city.

Aleppo

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forwarded more gunmen and military hardware to the strategic town of Manbij in Northern Syria amid Turkey’s move to purge the town of the Kurds, militant-affiliated sources reported on Tuesday.

The sources said that the SDF dispatched a new convoy of fighters and military equipment from Kurdish-held regions in Northern and Eastern Syria to Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo on Sunday.

In the meantime, Smart news reported that a convoy of six personnel carrier vehicles, several armored vehicles and truck carrying a large volume of arms and ammunition, two vehicles carrying cannons and four US military vehicles equipped with radars crossed Qaraqozaq bridge and moved towards Manbij.

However, Russian media reported on Sunday that the Kurdish forces would be forced to withdraw from Manbij, Raqqa and Eastern Euphrates after occupation of Afrin by Ankara and allied militants and following a secret agreement between the US and Turkey as Washington plans to extend mission in Syria.

Russian media outlet Nezavisimaya Gazetta reported that clashes between the Kurds and the Turkish army would likely extend to Manbij, Raqqa and the Eastern banks of the Euphrates, adding that the Kurds retreated from the battlefield in Afrin after several days of heavy clashes and probably after the recent agreement between Ankara and Washington.

The Russian outlet added that the Kurdish units will not be allowed to remain in Manbij, and “these will be the US and Turkish military forces that will be deployed in the region.

The report claimed that the Americans betrayed their allies (Kurds) to establish military presence of the US forces in the security region along the Turkish-Syrian borders, adding that Ankara seeks to entrust the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorists group with the rule over Afrin.

The Ankara-affiliated FSA would turn Afrin into a region like Idlib which hosts all terrorist groups stationed in Syria.

Homs

Local sources in Northern Homs reported on Tuesday that the militant groups in several towns have agreed to reconcile with the Syrian government.

The reports indicated that the militants in the towns of Talbiseh, al-Ghantou, and al-Rastan have agreed to the terms offered by the Russian reconciliation center, the AMN reported.

The reconciliation will be signed and applied in one week, the sources added.

Part of the deal will require the rebels to handover their heavy weapons to the government and raise the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic over the towns they control.