Syrian Army Recaptures Al-Kassarat Near the Syrian Capital

On Sunday morning, the Syrian Arab Army’s 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard – in coordination with the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) – advanced from the strategic hilltop of Tal Abu Zaid to the village of Al-Kassarat along the Homs-Damascus Highway, resulting in a series of intense firefights with the Islamist rebels of Jaysh Al-Islam (Army of Islam).

Following a morning of non-stop firefights, the Syrian Armed Forces finally broke-through Jaysh Al-Islam’s frontline defenses at Al-Kasarat, capturing the village after the Islamist rebels found themselves surrounded along Homs-Damascus Highway in the Harasta-Dhahiyat Al-Assad area.

With the capture of Tal Abu Zaid and Al-Kassarat, the Syrian Armed Forces have now secured the Dhahiyat Al-Assad area, while also reversing much of Jaysh Al-Islam’s gains near the contested city of Harasta in the East Ghouta (collection of farms).

Meanwhile, inside Harasta, intense clashes persisted throughout the day on Sunday, as the Islamist rebels of Jaysh Al-Islam attempted to infiltrate past the National Defense Forces’ frontline positions at the Harasta National Hospital and Police State.

However, the Islamist rebel fighters were unsuccessful once again, as the fierce resistance from the National Defense Forces and the relentless airstrikes proved too much for the encroaching Jaysh Al-Islam militants inside Harasta.

For the second straight week, the National Defense Forces and Jaysh Al-Islam clashed at the Adra Central Prison near Tal Kurdi-Adra axis, resulting in a high death toll for both sides involved; however, the Islamist rebel fighters were repelled before they could achieve any success.