Syrian Army Attacks ISIL in Eastern Homs, Seize Back Key Regions

The government troops engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL terrorists in al-Sharifeh to the West of T4 air base in Eastern Homs which resulted in capturing the strategic village and leaving a number of the ISIL terrorists dead and injured as well as destroying their military equipment.

The Syrian army troops also managed to take control of al-Kaziyeh intersection in al-Quaryatayn city in Homs province and hence open the road linking al-Quaryatayn to T4 airbase.

The government troops also destroyed 10 military vehicles and three tanks of the terrorists in their attacks on al-Kaziyeh intersection.

The Syrian and Russian fighter jets also heavily pounded the ISIL’s military positions in Palmyra; al-Ameriyeh district in the Northern part of the city and al-Savameh in its Eastern part, killing a number of the terrorists.

Meantime, the ISIL’s military positions in al-Dawa district in Western Palmyra came under several air raids.

The Syrian army units, supported by the air force, also launched operations against the ISIL terrorists and took back new areas near T4 military airport and won back Katiba al-Mahjoura base near the airport on Thursday.

On Thursday, over 50 More ISIL Terrorists, Including several commanders, were Killed in the Syrian Army Attacks in Palmyra.

At least 52 terrorists of ISIL, including non-Syrian commanders, were killed and many more were wounded in the Syrian army troops’ attacks near Palmyra city.

The army units targeted ISIL’s positions in Tadmur region, killing 52 militants, including Obayd al-Na’eimi, Neskhadov Khan from Chechnya, Abu Torab al-Maleki from Saudi Arabia and Head of ISIL’s information Hamad al-Hajajami.

A workshop of terrorist used to manufacture hell canons and another missile-building workshop came under attacks by the Syrian soldiers in al-Rastan North of Homs.

In the meantime, five bomb-laden suicide vehicles of the ISIL were destroyed in the army attack.

Meanwhile, army’s artillery units pounded bases of Fatah al-Sham Front (previously known as the al-Nusra Front) in al-Za’afaraniyeh and al-Qantou in Northern Homs, leaving a number of militants dead.

Reports said earlier on Thursday that the Syrian Air Force carried out several combat flights over ISIL’s positions in the Western and Southwestern directions of Palmyra city in Eastern Homs, killing 116 militants and wounding many more.

The fighter jets pounded ISIL’s positions in the regions of Abu Kaleh Dam and Qasr al-Hayer, killing 116 terrorists and destroying 12 vehicles, including bomb-laden ones.

The Syrian state news agency reported that over 70 ISIL militants were killed in air raid in Albu Kaleh and several rocket launchers and machinegun-equipped vehicles were destroyed.

In the meantime, over 46 ISIL fighters were killed and seven machinegun-equipped vehicles and five bomb-laden suicide cars were destroyed in army aircraft’s raid in Qasr al-Hayer, the agency added.

The Syrian army troops for their part targeted ISIL’s positions near al-Katibeh al-Mahjoureh.

ISIL kicked off a large-scale operation on December 8 with thousands of forces in Homs province to take control of Palmyra that was liberated by the Syrian Army in March 2016.

The ISIL took control over some energy fields and strategic heights and approached Palmyra.

The terrorist group finally entered the city of Palmyra on December 10, but the Russian and Syrian forces could repel their attacks, killing hundreds of them. Yet, the terrorists could take the city on late on Sunday.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Syrian Army soldiers with aerial support of Russian fighter jets killed over 300 terrorists.

“During the night [December 10], Syrian government forces, actively supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, repelled all attacks by (ISIL) terrorists on (government positions in) Palmyra. The invading side actively used car bombs, armor and rocket artillery systems,” the ministry’s statement read.

According to Moscow, the Russian warplanes conducted 64 airstrikes on the militants’ positions and reserves, while eleven battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, 31 cars with heavy machineguns were destroyed, and over 300 militants were killed.

4,000 fighters of the ISIL carried out again a large-scale offensive against government positions in Palmyra from several flanks and finally managed to capture the city on December 11, while only 800 army soldiers were defending the city and there was no possibility for aerial coverage by the Russian and Syrian warplanes due to bad weather.

The Russia’s center for Syrian reconciliation noted ISIL had moved considerable forces from their stronghold of Raqqa, while more forces and equipment were relocated from Deir Ezzur.

The center cited intelligence data that ISIL had moved up to 5,000 fighters to the cities of Raqqa and Deir Ezzur from the Iraqi stronghold of Mosul.

The Syrian Army, backed by the Syrian and Russian Aerospace Forces, liberated Palmyra in March, 2016, nearly a year after it was captured by ISIL in May 2015.

During the invasion, terrorists had cruelly destroyed a major portion of the historic sites in the city. UNESCO Chief Irina Bokova had warned that ISIL militants in both Iraq and Syria were responsible for “the most brutal and systematic” destruction of the ancient heritage since World War II.