Syria in Past 24 Hours: Army Nearing End of Eastern Dara’a Operation

Dara’a

The army men, backed up by missile and artillery units, seized control over the village of Kahil in Eastern Dara’a after the village of al-Moseirafeh came under the government forces’ control on Tuesday.

In the meantime, the remaining pockets of the terrorists retreated towards Seida and al-Jizeh townships after Kahil fell to the army.

A local source, meantime, said that the army has gained almost 80 percent of Eastern Dara’a’s land, adding that Eastern Dara’a is expected to be purge of terrorists soon.

A militant-affiliated website confirmed that at least 22 terrorists were killed in clashes with the army in a single day of the army’s operation in Eastern Dara’a.

Other units of the army, deployed in the town of Busra al-Sham in Eastern Dara’a, seized at least four military vehicles, several cannons and a large volume of ammunition and arms.

Also on Wednesday, militants in 27 more villages and towns in Southern Syria have laid down arms and joined the reconciliation plan, the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria reported.

The Russian Center said in a statement that militants in 27 villages, towns and townships in de-escalation zone in the provinces of Quneitra, Sweida and Dara’a laid down weapons and joined the peace process with the army.

The Center further said that Syrian flags have been hoisted in the newly-freed regions and government organizations and institutions have started their routine jobs.

Also in the past 24 hours, a large number of Israeli and American missiles were handed over to the Syrian Army troops by the militant groups under a reconciliation agreement in the Southern province of Dara’a on Wednesday.

The militant groups that laid down arms and joined a peace plan in Southern Dara’a surrendered their US-made anti-tank missiles to the Syrian soldiers.

In the meantime, the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen News Channel quoted a field commander as reporting that several Israel-made missiles are also among the arms and ammunition that the militants handed over to the Syrian army in Eastern Dara’a.

Also on Wednesday, people in Southern Syria demonstrated against terrorists as the Syrian Army troops continued their advances in Dara’a province moved towards Nasib passageway at the border with Jordan.

Civilians in different districts in the town of Nawa poured into the streets and hoisted the government flags, calling for expulsion of terrorists from their region.

Meantime, the army men stormed terrorists’ positions Northeast of the town of al-Tayebeh in Southern Dara’a.

Also, the artillery and missile units opened heavy fire at terrorists’ positions and movements in al-Tayereh, Tal al-Saman and Tafas regions in Western Dara’a, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

Local sources said that the army is planning to capture al-Tayebeh to reach to Um al-Mayadin region and move towards Nasib border-crossing via the international highway.

Filed sources, in the meantime, said that a fresh round of talks has started between the Russian delegation, representing the Syrian government, with some militant groups in Busra al-Sham region in Eastern Dara’a.

Hama

Hundreds of militants that had laid down arms in Southern Hama and applied for amnesty received government pardoning, military sources reported on Wednesday.

The sources reported that based on an agreement with the Syrian army hundreds of militants handed over their arms and ammunition and received government amnesty in the town of Jarjiseh.

In the meantime, the army forces carried out mop-up operation in al-Houleh region in Northern Homs and found a large volume of arms and ammunition, anti-tank missiles and bombs in terrorists’ positions, they added.

The sources went on to say that the army’s engineering units further discovered two tunnels of the terrorists in al-Sa’an and Hawsh al-Hajwa East of Talbiseh region in Northern Homs.

Terrorists were using the tunnels for moving between their positions and hideouts and also penetrating into the army’s positons and safe zones near their regions.

Aleppo

The Turkish Army men engaged in heavy fighting with Ankara-backed militants of al-Hamza Brigade in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo, a media outlet reported on Wednesday.

The Kurdish-language Hawar news reported that the Turkish soldiers exchanged heavy fire with the militants of al-Hamza Brigade at the entrance of the occupied town of Afrin along al-Fil Street.

Hawar news further said that the Turkish army’s heavy artillery fire at one of the positions of al-Hamza Brigade near Deir Sam Hospital and also near the village of Tarandeh has frightened residents in the region.

The clashes came after the Turkish troops urged al-Hamza members to leave Afrin and deployed in the town’s outskirts that was opposed by the Brigade, Hawar news said.

The Turkish troops and Ankara-backed militants have been looting people’s assets and arresting civilians in the occupied region.

Also on Wednesday, Helil Bozi, commander of the Manbij Military Council, which is a part of the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces said that if Turkish forces enter the town, they will be fired upon.

“Information on the Turkish military’s possible entry into Manbij is not true. In accordance with an agreement with the US, Turkish forces patrol along the border of the town opposite Manbij in the Sajur River area. In turn, coalition forces are patrolling from the Manbij side,” Bozi said, the AMN reported.

“We recently met with the representatives of the coalition forces, and they assured us that they will ensure Manbij’s security and that no one will enter its territory. However, in the event of an unforeseen situation, we intend to resist the Turkish military,” Bozi stressed.

Raqqa

Tens of tribal forces marched in Raqqa city streets in Northeastern Syria, chanting pro-Damascus slogans, a media outlet reported on Wednesday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily reported that a large convoy of tribal forces, affiliated to Qowat al-Sanadid pro-government troops, marched in Raqqa city streets and chanted slogans in support for the Syrian Army.

The daily further said that Qowat al-Sanadid members are from the Arab Shamer tribe that was once formed to fight the ISIL terrorists and joined the Syrian Democratic Forces in 2015.

In the meantime, local sources in Central Raqqa reported that a sum of fifty bodies of civilians were discovered from under debris of the buildings since last Thursday, adding that the buildings had been destroyed in the US-led coalitions’ airstrikes in Harra al-Bado neighborhood.

Idlib

The Syrian Army and Air Force launched a heavy attack on terrorists’ positions and movements in Northern Hama and Western Idlib, killing and wounding tens of militants on Wednesday.

The army aircraft bombed heavily the terrorists’ positions in the villages and townships of al-Zakah, Hasraya and al-Sayad in Northern Ham, killing a number of gunmen and destroying their military equipment.

In the meantime, the artillery and missile units opened heavy fire at terrorists’ positions in Morek, Ma’arkaba, al-Latamina, Kafr Zita, al-Zakah, al-Lahaya and Tal Howeiz regions in Northern Hama and in the village of al-Baneh in Western Hama.

Other missile units targeted terrorists’ centers in Badama in Jisr al-Shughour region in Western Idlib.

Tens of terrorists were killed and tens of others were wounded and their military hardware were badly damaged in the attacks.

The army’s attack came after the terrorists launched heavy offensives against pro-government forces’ positions in Hama and Idlib to disturb the army’s concentration on its operation in the Southern part of the country.