Syrian Army to launch offensive in northeast Damascus against Qalamoun terrorists

The Syrian Army and allied paramilitaries are to launch a major offensive operation against armed terrorists in the Qalamoun region of northeast Damascus.

According to Al-Masdar News journalist, the offensive by government forces on terrorist groups in eastern areas of Qalamoun mountain region will most likely come after the Syrian Army concludes its current operation in East Ghouta (nearer to Damascus city).

Terrorist factions currently based in the eastern Qalamoun region include several Free Syrian Army-linked groups, the Al-Qaeda affiliate militia Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (better known by its former name Jabhat al-Nusra) and Jaysh al-Islam.

On Saturday afternoon, armed rebel groups operating in the Qalamoun mountains shelled the Syrian Air Force base of Ad-Dumayr (near the city of Ad-Dumayr) in northeast Damascus. Government warplanes and artillery have since responded to the attack with a powerful retaliation strike