Syrian Army surrounds strategic town in northeast Latakia

The Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade of the Republican Guard – backed by the Desert Hawks Brigade, Syrian Marines, National Defense Forces (NDF), and Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) – renewed their offensive at the strategic town of Kabani on Tuesday, striking the surrounding hills that were under control of Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group).

The Kabani offensive got off to a great start on Tuesday, thanks in large part to recent arrival of the Desert Hawks Brigade and Syrian Marines. In a matter of two hours, the Syrian Armed Forces captured the Zuwayqat Mountains that border Kabani’s southwestern perimeter; this successful attack followed by the seizure of Point 1112 on the Idlib-Latakia border. With the Zuwayqat Mountains and Point 1112 under their control, the Syrian Armed Forces turned their attention to the last 5 hills that surround the town of Kabani. Currently, the Syrian Armed Forces are still storming the outskirts of Kabani, where they can be seen advancing along points 1125 and 1154.

The most important height that the Syrian Arab Army needs to capture before they can enter Kabani is Point 1154. Point 1154 overlooks Kabani from the southwestern flank; if captured by the Desert Hawks and Republican Guard, the extremist rebels will be forced to retreat from the town because the government forces will have imposed fire control over it.