Syria in Past 24 Hours: Army Repels Fresh Attacks by Terrorists Deployed in Demilitarized Zone

Idlib, Hama

Kata’eb al-Izzah terrorists, deployed in the demilitarized zone in Northern Hama, attacked several points of the army near the small town of al-Jisat, but failed to advance after the army’s artillery and missile units targeted them.

The terrorists suffered heavy casualties and pulled the remaining pockets of gunmen back.

In the meantime, other army units engaged in heavy fighting with Ajnad al-Qoqaz along a road between al-Khowein and Zarzour regions in Southeastern Idlib and repelled their attack after inflicting major losses on them.

The army’s artillery units, meantime, shelled the supply lines of the terrorists in the region and destroyed their vehicle and military hardware.

The move by the terrorists is pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.

Also on Wednesday, Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) and its terrorist allies have forwarded long convoy of gunmen and heavy arms to the demilitarized zone in Northern Hama to launch a large-scale offensive against the Syrian Army, a Russian media outlet reported.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted well-informed sources as disclosing that Tahrir al-Sham forwarded thousand of fighters, including non-Syrians and elite forces, and a large volume of a military hardware to the demilitarized zone in Northern Hama on Tuesday.

It went on to say that Tahrir al-Sham relocated its forces from Idlib city and from the town of Khan Sheikhoun to Northern Hama, adding that Tahrir al-Sham has taken tanks, heavy cannons, military vehicles, anti-air craft missiles and the US-made Stinger shoulder-launched missiles out of its underground depots.

The news agency said that the decision came after a meeting of Tahrir al-Sham’s commanders, adding that other terrorist groups, including Jeish al-Izzah, Horras al-Deen and Ansar al-Deen have also dispatched their fighters and equipment to Northern Hama to partake in the offensive.

The terrorists’ military buildup has been reported in the demilitarized zone in Northern Hama, while the Turkish troops are deployed in 2 truce monitoring checkpoints in al-Sarman in Southeastern Idlib and in Morek in Northern Hama.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Arab Army’s elite armored division started leaving Southern Syria for Hama, a new military report said.

According to the military report, the Syrian army’s 4th Armored Division has received orders to leave the newly-liberated Toloul al-Safa region for the Hama province in order to participate in the next offensive, massdar news reported.

With the 4th Division heading to Hama, it appears that the army’s next target will be the jihadist-held areas along the Idlib axis.

However, this new deployment could be short-lived if an agreement is made by the parties at the upcoming Astana Peace Conference.

Also on Wednesday, Turkey warned Ankara-backed militant groups, deployed in the demilitarized zone in Northern and Northwestern Syria to leave the zone under the Sochi Agreement.

Syria’s state-owned al-Watan daily quoted militant-affiliated sources as disclosing that the Turkish authorities, including army generals, held a meeting with commanders of Ankara-backed National Liberation Front, Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at and other terrorist groups in Northern Idlib near the border with Turkey.

The daily went on to say that the Turkish authorities have stated in the meeting that there could be no further delay in the establishment of the demilitarized zone mentioned in the Sochi Agreement.

It further said that the Turkish authorities have demanded the terrorist groups to halt attacking the army positons, especially from inside the demilitarized zone.

The daily said that Ankara’s new warning to the terrorists might be linked to a visit to Russia’s Sochi by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Head of the country’s Intelligence Hakan Vidan and their meeting with the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Al-Watan said that the meeting was demanded by Russia to object at the Turkish side’s lack of pressure on Ankara-backed terrorists to implement the Sochi Agreement.

Aleppo

A sum of 10 militants, affiliated to the Turkish army, were killed and wounded in clashes with the Kurdish militias in the town of Afrin in Northwestern Aleppo, the Kurdish units reported on Wednesday.

The sources said that one of the bases of the Turkey-backed Military Police in Central Afrin came under attack by the Kurdish militias on Tuesday, adding that 3 members of the Police were killed and 6 more were wounded severely in the attack.

Damascus

The Syrian Army on Wednesday continued its cleansing operation in the regions formerly occupied by the terrorists in Damascus and Quneitra provinces and found a volume of advanced US-made equipment and Israeli medicines.

The army carried out cleansing operation in the villages of al-Mo’alaqa, Deir Maaker and Beit Jin in Quneitra province and in a number of farms and settlements in Southwestern Damascus and managed to find a volume of arms and advanced US-manufactured satellite devices.

In the meantime, the army men discovered a large volume of Israeli medicines and medical equipment.

Hasaka

Enraged civilians arrested several members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasaka city on Wednesday as protests against the Kurdish gunmen covered the province, mainly in the South.

A number of young men from al-Jobour tribe, in a move to show their support for uprising against the SDF in the town of al-Shadadi in Southern Hasaka, attacked a patrol of the Kurdish militia in al-Aziziyah neighborhood in Hasaka city and arrested 6 gunmen and their commander.

The remaining pockets of the patrolling group of SDF escaped from the neighborhood.

In the meantime, a field source reported that a number of people in al-Shadadi have been killed or injured in clashes with the Kurdish militia, adding that the US forces have embarked on laying siege on the small town of al-Sowarah near al-Shadadi.

Deir Ezzur

The US fighter jets pounded the residential areas in Southeastern Deir Ezzur with internationally-forbidden weapons, killing and wounding a number of civilians, field sources reported on Wednesday.

The local sources in Southeastern Deir Ezzur reported that the US-led coalition warplanes used forbidden white-phosphorus bombs in their airstrikes on civilian districts in the town of Hajin and its outskirts on Tuesday, killing and injuring a number of people.

The sources further said a growing wave of fear has covered civilian communities over the US air raids and the Syrian Democratic Forces’ artillery attacks.

The US warplanes have been pounding residential unis and killing civilians in Eastern Syria regularly claiming that they attack only ISIL’s bases.

Homs

The Syrian army on Wednesday continued cleansing operation in regions in Northern Homs that were once occupied by the terrorist groups, and discovered a large volume of arms and ammunition, including US-made weapons.

The army’s engineering units found a large volume of weapons, ammunition and military hardware in farms and residential areas that were once under terrorists’ occupation in Northern Homs.

A field source, meantime, reported that the units managed to discover a number of American M-16 rifles.

The source further said that a number of cannons, mortar launchers, sniper rifles, shoulder launcher missiles, machineguns and a large volume of different ammunition were in the depot.

The army has been on discovering Israeli, US and European-made arms and ammunition, while carrying out mop-up operations in liberated regions which once were under terrorists’ rule.