Syrian Army and Hezbollah Take Full Control of Al-Sabaqiyah in Southern Aleppo

The Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division – in coordination with Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces (NDF), Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions), and Harakat Al-Nujaba – took full control of Al-Sabaqiyah in southern Aleppo after intense firefights with the Islamist rebels of Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group), Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham inside this town.

According to a military source inside the provincial capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance captured Al-Sabaqiyah during their advance from the hilltop of Tal Huwayz and Army Storage Facility to the west of Abtayn; this aforementioned town in southern Aleppo has been the scene of some of the fiercest firefights in this province.

With Al-Sabaqiyah under their control, the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance have recovered the territory they lost to the Islamist rebels of Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham, and Jabhat Al-Nusra over the weekend; this leaves the imperative town of Al-Shughaydilah surrounded by the pro-government forces at the northeastern and northwestern flanks.

The goal of this Syrian Arab Army/Hezbollah offensive in southern Aleppo is to cutoff the Islamist rebels main supply route from the Idlib Governorate to the provincial capital of Aleppo – the obstruction of the Aleppo-Damascus International Highway at Khan Touman is the primary objective for the pro-government forces.