Syria in Last 24 Hours: Syrian army launched a new offensive in Lattakia

The Syrian army continued its advances in al-Zabadani in Damascus countryside over the past 24 hours.

The army units backed by the Lebanese resistance forces seized back al-Kallaseh trail, Hasbeh trail, and al-Kassara meadow, killing scores of terrorists and destroying their weapons and ammunition.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army launched a new offensive against Takfiri terrorists in the province of Lattakia and managed to retake a number of villages in the coastal area.

Aerial bombardment had intensified over the past 48 hours in a bid to cut rebel supply lines in rugged territory close to Turkey’s border, an army source was quoted as saying on state media.

The army said five villages and hilltops, including Beit Khadour, Beit Zaifa, Tel al-Khadar and Jabal al Rahmaliya, had been seized back from the terrorists, bringing it closer to the border areas.

A Syrian army officer said the aim of the latest operation was to cut rebel supply lines from the Turkish border to the rebel held villages, including the town of Salma, that has been held by Nusra Front since 2012.

“These armed men are weaker than to try to dare get close to Lattakia,” a senior army officer was quoted as saying in a report from the area.

Meantime, the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group’s logistic route in the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur was targeted by the Syrian warplanes, military sources said.

The sources said that a long convoy of the ISIL vehicles on one of the main strategic routes of the terrorist group near al-Mre’ea, in al-Jafara was targeted by the Syrian air force.

The sources said that several ISIL fighters were killed or wounded in the Syrian airstrike.

Elsewhere, the Syrian army artillery units pounded the ISIL’s positions in the city of Raqqa, Northern Syria, killing tens of militants.

At least 400 ISIL terrorists were killed in the Syrian artillery attacks on a building known as al-Servat al-Hayvanieh which was ISIL’s command center.

Raqqa city, the capital of Raqqa province, is ISIL’s most important base in Northern Syria.

Also, informed military sources confirmed that the Syrian army’s operations against the ISIL terrorists across the Central Hama province resulted in the killing or wounding of scores of rebel fighters.

The sources said that the army stormed the ISIL strongholds near al-Hwash, Atshan, and Khirbet al-Naqous villages in the Northern sides of Hama, and pushed back the rebels from their positions.

Terrorists’ positions in Aqrab village were also targeted by the army men, inflicting heavy losses upon the militants.

The army also raided the rebel centers in the nearby areas of al-Rahjan village and killed dozens of the militants.

Meantime, the Syrian fighter jets, in massive operations, stormed positions of the ISIL Takfiri terrorists across the strategic province on Homs, inflicting heavy losses upon the foreign-backed fighters, local officials said.

The sources said that the ISIL positions in the nearby areas of Bir Abu Tawala, Rasm al-Tawil, al-Kadim, Marhajan, al-Bardeh, to the North of Wadi Abiyad dam, Shiha, Buraq al-Nashmi and to the North of Tal Nashma in the province were raided by the Syrian air force, which resulted in the killing and wounding of scores of the rebels.

Elsewhere, the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance forces thwarted an attack by the Takfiri terrorists on a strategic city across the border in Syria.

The resistance fighters prevented the ISIL terrorists from entering al-Qusayr city in Homs province, Western Syria.

A group of terrorists who had gathered in the surrounding areas of al-Qa’a hills intended to enter al-Qusayr city, but the Hezbollah fighters pushed them back and prevented them from opening their way into the city.

The Hezbollah forces won back al-Qusayr in Summer 2013 from the ISIL control.

Al-Qusayr is a city in Western Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate. It is located about 35 kilometers to the South of Homs and is situated in a mountainous area overlooking Syria’s border with Lebanon.

Meantime, a high-ranking military commander of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in the Northern city of Aleppo.

According to local reports, the body of Hussein Qintar was found on a roadside on Monday near the region of Anadan the point where he had been kidnapped the night before.

The reports added that, Qintar’s body was found with bruises on his face, a bullet in his head.