Syrian Army Advances South of the Jazal Mountains to the Outskirts of Palmyra

On Sunday night, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade of the 18th Tank Division – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF), Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade), and a contingent from the Tiger Forces – launched a counter-assault at the Jazal Mountains inside the Homs Governorate’s northeastern countryside after the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) went on the offensive at this front two weeks prior.

The Syrian Armed Forces’ counter-assault proved successful on Sunday night, as they reportedly advanced over 500 meters south of the Jazal Mountain chain towards the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) after a series of intense firefights with ISIS, leaving the aforementioned terrorist group with a fracture in their frontline defenses.

Following a night of fierce firefights, the Syrian Armed Forces continued their push towards the city of Palmyra from their positions in the Jazal Mountains, destroying four armored vehicles that were mounted with 23mm anti-aircraft machine guns, while also killing over 20 enemy combatants from the terrorist group on Monday morning.

The Jazal front is imperative to the Syrian Armed Forces’ Palmyra offensive due to its proximity to the ancient city; it sits 10km northwest of Al-‘Amariyah – a village located at the northern axis of Palmyra.

Meanwhile, to the west of Palmyra, the Syrian Armed Forces continued their assault on ISIS’ defenses at the Palmyra Driving School and Al-Qadri Farms – clashes are still ongoing this morning.