Syria in Last 24 Hours: Terrorists Sustain Heavy Losses in Army Offensive in Damascus Countryside

The Syrian army killed and wounded scores of terrorists in Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside.

The Syrian army also inflicted heavy losses on the terrorist groups in other key regions across Syria.

Damascus

The Syrian Army’s missile and artillery units shelled heavily the positions of Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) in three different districts and regions in Eastern Ghouta, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The missile units targeted badly the Al-Nusra’s concentration centers in al-Qaboun district in the Northeastern outskirts of Damascus city.

The artillery units meantime targeted terrorists’ centers in Jobar district and Ein Terma region.

Local sources reported that fierce clashes are now underway between the army soldiers and terrorists in several fronts in al-Qaboun, while the army’s artillery units are targeting terrorists’ defense lines in the same district.

Also, sources in Southern Syria said that the army cut off terrorists’ supply route between the villages of al-Hamidiyeh and Jabata al-Khashab in Quneitra province.

They added that the terrorists deployed in the villages of al-Horiyeh and al-Hamidiyeh opened heavy machinegun fire at residential areas and army positions in the town of al-Ba’ath and in the vicinity of Khan Arnabeh town in Quneitra.

Reports said earlier on Friday that the Syrian government forces continued to push deeper into the rebel-held district of Barzeh as militants rained the capital with mortar shells.

In the meantime, a Syrian military commander on the frontline said that a field commander of the Free Syrian Army fighting alongside Al-Nusra was captured alive after all his men were killed by the government troops.

The captured terrorist commander was found hiding in his outpost after being shelled by the Army’s artillery.

Homs

The Syrian Army troops continued to beat ISIL back from more territories in the countryside of ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur), cutting off two main supply lines of the terrorists in the region.

The army men stormed ISIL’s position East of Palmyra and blocked ISIL’s supply routes between the villages of al-Sawaneh and al-Abasiyeh and from the town of Arak to the village of al-Sawaneh.

Meantime, some Syrian news outlets said following the US missile attack on Shayrat airbase in Southwestern Homs, the ISIL stormed the government forces’ positions at crossroad 24 near the town of al-Furqalas, but failed to prevail the army troops.

Well-informed military sources said earlier on Friday that ISIL terrorists struck the Syrian Army troops’ strongholds after the US navy’s missile units targeted Shayrat airbase in Southwestern Homs on Thursday night.

The sources said that capitalizing on the US missile strike, the ISIL terrorists stormed the Syrian Army’s checkpoints near al-Furqalas.

The ISIL has yet to make any gains near al-Furqalas, the sources added.

The Shayrat Military Airport is one of the Syrian Air Force’s most important installations in the fight against the ISIL due to its proximity to the Palmyra and Deir Ezzur fronts.

The United States launched dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles at an airbase in Syria, the Pentagon confirmed late Thursday.

Around 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched on Thursday night at the military airfield in Shayrat 38 kilometers Southeast of the city of Homs, Sputnik reported, citing US military officials.

US military ships in the Mediterranean launched the strike between 8 and 9 p.m. ET.

Dara’a

The Syrian pro-government forces, backed up by the country’s fighter jets, hit terrorists’ defense lines in different neighborhoods of the Southern city of Dara’a, capturing several more key positions.

The army aircraft pounded terrorists’ positions in al-Sibeh neighborhood and al-Bajabjah street in Dara’a city, inflicting heavy casualties on the militants.

In the meantime, the army soldiers engaged in heavy fighting with terrorists South of al-Manshiyeh in Dara’a al-Balad district, imposing full control over Syriatel tower and three buildings.

Also, the army troops repelled an Al-Nusra Front offensive on their positions in Dara’a neighborhoods on Wednesday, while artillery and missile units of the army targeted the movements of the terrorists in several flanks to cover their comrades in the city.

A well-informed source said that 15 militants of Al-Nusra were killed, two of their tanks were destroyed South of al-Masri square and a machinegun-equipped vehicle of the terrorists was also destroyed West of the city’s old costumes in the failed attack.

In the meantime, the army’s artillery targeted a vehicle of the terrorists North of Ba’ar al-Shayah region in Dara’a, killing the entire crew on board.

Lattakia-Idlib

The Syrian Army troops and Aircraft targeted a number of terrorist positions in Northern Lattakia and Southern Idlib, inflicting tens of casualties on the militants hours after a US missile strike on an army airbase in Homs province.

The country’s air force carried out several nigh combat sorties over terrorists’ concentration centers in villages near the town of Jisr al-Shughour in Idlib, killing and wounding tens of militants.

Webistes close to the terrorist groups said the militants have transferred tens of their injured members to Idlib.

In the meantime, the army men repelled terrorists’ attack in Tal (hill) al-Zoweiqat in Northern Lattakia.

Local sources reported that a machinegun-equipped vehicle of the terrorists was targeted by the army en route to Kabani in Northeastern Lattakia.

The Syrian Army troops warded off attack of Al-Nusra Front in Northeastern and Northern Lattakia, destroying three more bomb-laden vehicles.

Reports said earlier on Friday that the army soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with Al-Nusra along the road connecting the towns of Kabani and Kinsibba in Northeastern Lattakia, destroying 3 vehicles rigged with explosives before they could reach the area surrounding a number of military points and villages.

Local sources reported that the army units and terrorist groups engaged in heavy clashes when terrorists tried to advance toward the safe zones after the destruction of the vehicles.

A large number of terrorists, mainly from Al-Nusra, were killed while others fled away towards the Turkey-Syria border.