At sunrise on Saturday morning, the Syrian Army’s 90th Brigade of the 9th Armored Division, in coordination with Fouj Al-Joulani (Golan Regiment) and Liwaa Suqour Al-Quneitra (Al-Quneitra Hawks Brigade) of the National Defense Forces (NDF), launched a counter-assault at the 4th Battalion Base outside of the town of Taranjah, resulting in a series of intense firefights with the Free Syrian Army’s Southern Front Brigades.
The FSA has now lost all of their previous gains from the September offensive that put them in position to attack the Syrian government strongholds of Khan Arnabeh and Hadar inside the Golan Heights of the Quneitra province.
The Syrian Arab Army’s 90th Brigade and the National Defense Forces were able to impose full control over the 4th Battalion Base after they overran the Free Syrian Army’s defensive positions; this forced the aforementioned militants to withdraw to Tal Taranjah in order to regroup after their frontlines crumbled at the base.
According to a military source from the town of Hadar, the FSA militants have conducted a counter-assault since losing the 4th Battalion Base; however, they have yet to regain any territory lost to the Syrian Armed Forces this morning.
Over the past week, Russia destroyed 363 ISIL facilities as the Syrian army continues offensives around the country to combat terrorist groups, the Russian Media reported.
Russia’s presence in Syria led to a change in the focus of the US-led coalition’s strikes against ISIL. The US continues minor airstrikes in Syria, generally using drones and striking near the Iraqi and Turkish borders. However, the drone use has created issues of air control, as Russian aircraft are often forced to fly in close proximity with US drones, as Russia’s defense ministry showed in a fly-by of a MQ-9 Reaper drone.
In Aleppo, the Syrian army began an offensive against ISIL to break the Kuweires air base out of encirclement, as well as offensives around the southern outskirts of the city, liberating 14 villages only in the last two days.
The offensive appears to be effective, as ISIL is moving fighters from Iraq to Syria, according to Defense Ministry intelligence. ISIL twitter accounts have been posting maps of a supposed counter-offensive they were planning, to cut off the road the Syrian army uses for supplying Aleppo, but the counter-attack failed and the ISIL-Nusra militants were pushed back after sustaining large casualties.
The Syrian army also began an offensive in the Lattakia province, in which al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front massacred hundreds of civilians in previous years.
The offensive has thus far killed hundreds of fighters, according to Syrian military sources, but remains one of the more difficult offensives due to Lattakia’s mountainous terrain.
In Damascus, the offensive against ISIL and other terrorist groups has gained ground at several points, according to reports.
Damascus is controlled by the Syrian government, and many anti-government areas controlled by the Free Syrian Army have signed ceasefires with the Syrian government. However, portions remain controlled by ISIL and other groups including the al-Nusra Front.
In the eastern Deir Ezzur, the Russian military destroyed a key bridge which previously allowed ISIL to resupply an enclave it held in the city. Offensives in central Syria’s Homs, Hama and Idlib have continued to gain ground.
It is not clear if US-supplied TOW missiles, many of which reportedly ended up in the hands of terrorist groups such as al-Nusra continue to destroy Syrian army tanks. Almost no new videos have been uploaded, and terrorist groups have been found reusing old videos and presenting them as new for propaganda purposes.
Some units of al-Nusra have also reportedly been in talks to align with ISIL. ISIL broke away from other rebel groups in 2013 in a bitter power struggle which also saw it disaffiliate from al-Qaeda.
The local activists identified the warlords as Abu Zubayr Al-Sham, Abu Dujana Al-Ansari and Abu Al-Nasir Al-Jazrawi.
Al-Jazrawi was a Saudi national and the highest ranking commander in this group of killed al-Qaeda emirs.
No one has thus far claimed responsibility for the bombing; however, al-Nusra and their affiliated-faction “Jund Al-Aqsa” have recently been the target of criticism from their allies in “Jeish Al-Fateh” (Army of Conquest) due to their unwillingness to combat the ISIL.
The army said that its soldiers alongside popular defense forces seized back Dahret al-Kassar in the countryside of the Quneitra province.
The army added that the militant centers in al-Seria al-Rabe’a came under heavy offensives of the Syrian forces, which resulted in the killing and wounding of dozens of the militants and recapture of the area.
Also, at sunrise on Saturday morning, the Syrian Army’s 90th Brigade of the 9th Armored Division, in coordination with Fouj Al-Joulani (Golan Regiment) and Liwaa Suqour Al-Quneitra (Al-Quneitra Hawks Brigade) of the National Defense Forces (NDF), launched a counter-assault at the 4th Battalion Base outside of the town of Taranjah, resulting in a series of intense firefights with the Free Syrian Army’s Southern Front Brigades.
The FSA has now lost all of their previous gains from the September offensive that put them in position to attack the Syrian government strongholds of Khan Arnabeh and Hadar inside the Golan Heights of the Quneitra province, massdar reported.
The Syrian Arab Army’s 90th Brigade and the National Defense Forces were able to impose full control over the 4th Battalion Base after they overran the Free Syrian Army’s defensive positions; this forced the aforementioned militants to withdraw to Tal Taranjah in order to regroup after their frontlines crumbled at the base.
According to a military source from the town of Hadar, the FSA militants have conducted a counter-assault since losing the 4th Battalion Base; however, they have yet to regain any territory lost to the Syrian Armed Forces this morning.
Militant strongholds in the Hills of Katef al-Ghader in Lattakia mountains were stormed by the Syrian army troops, who killed and wounded the militants positioned across the hills and retook full control over the fighting area.
Spokesman for the Syrian Army General Ali Maikhoub said on Friday that at least 300 militants have been killed by the country’s soldiers in various battlefronts of the coastal province of Lattakia.
“More than 300 terrorists were killed in Lattakia province,” Maikhoub said, added, “Our troops have control over Jub al-Ahmar and the Salma village.”
On Thursday, the Russian and Syrian warplanes conducted airstrikes on Takfiri terrorists’ positions in across Lattakia province, leaving a large group of them dead.
The air raids hit the concentration centers of Takfiri terrorists in the center of Jub al-Ahmar in Lattakia, and killed a large group of the militants.
Meanwhile, heavy clashes have erupted between the Takfiri militant groups and the Syrian forces in Salam in Lattakia, a military source said.
Syria’s government troops, supported by Russian airstrikes, continue their offensive in the country’s Western regions.
Russia started precision airstrikes against the ISIL targets in Syria on September 30, following a request from Syria’s internationally recognized government. The Russian airstrikes hit targets that are chosen based on intelligence collected by Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
In a statement released on Friday, Zameli said that the joint data center between Iraq, Syria and Russia was still in its initial stage, noting that however, it has offered important intelligence information which helped end the battle in Beiji. He further added that Syria offered important information about the position of ISIL terrorists.
“Iraq agreed with Russia, which leads the joint data center, to hit the ISIL militants heading from Syria to Iraq,” Zameli said, pointing out that this move would weaken the ISIL militants as it will cut off supply routes of the Takfiri insurgents.
Earlier this month, some 558 wanted militants have surrendered to the Syrian authorities as the army troops, backed by Russian air support, gained a faster momentum in their match on terrorist-held regions. Some 258 wanted persons from the provinces of Damascus, Idlib, Hama, Aleppo, Hasaka and Deir Ezzur turned themselves in to the Syrian authorities to be pardoned.
Official sources said a sum of 300 people from Hama laid down arms and surrendered to Syrian Army yesterday, while previously 560 wanted persons from Damascus, Damascus countryside, Quneitra and Homs gave up fight and turned themselves in to the authorities October 7.
The army troops, backed by Russian warplanes, have made major advances in their fight against the Takfiri terrorists across the Arab country in recent days.
Following the Syrian-Russian joint operations, thousands of Takfiri terrorists have also fled Syria to Jordan, Turkey and Europe.
The militant hideouts in Tal Sa’ad and Khirbet Sa’ad in the Southern province of Sweida were targeted by the Syrian fighter jets, in which the terrorists’ munition depots, military equipment and logistic vehicles were destroyed.
Earlier this month, the Syrian army, backed by popular defense groups, killed a large group of the ISIL terrorists in Tal Ash-heeb in the Northeastern countryside of Sweida on Tuesday.
A military source said that the Syrian forces targeted ISIL terrorists’ concentration centers and movement axes in Tal Ash-heeb, killing and injuring all the terrorists there and destroying their weapons and ammunition.
Kafr Zeta was the scene of massive airstrikes of the Syrian warplanes, which bombed the militant gathering centers, resulting in destruction of the terrorists’ hideouts and military equipment, the sources said. The sources further added that the militant groups sustained heavy death toll in the air attacks.
Also on Saturday, the sources said that the ISIL Takfiri terrorists’ hideouts in Tal Mahsar village near al-Hamra town were targeted by the Syrian jets, in which the militants’ ammunition depots were destroyed.
In the meantime, the Syrian warplanes carried out airstrikes on ISIL hideouts in the villages of Rasm al-Tineh, Dabaret al-Dibeh, East of al-Sheikh Hilal, South of Ethria and Uqairibat in the Eastern countryside of the Hama province, leaving many terrorists killed or wounded and a long convoy of their military vehicles destroyed.
On Friday, a total of 45 militants were killed during a Syrian Army attack on an ISIL convoy in Hama province.
“Our armed forces successfully continue their advance, supported by the air force,” an army spokesman, General Ali Maikhoub said.
“An ISIL convoy of military vehicles was attacked near the town of Um Hadij, resulting in destruction of at least 23 vehicles and killing of 45 terrorists,” the general went on to say.
The ISIL militants suffered heavy casualties in Syrian fighter jets’ intensive bombing of their hideouts in several parts of Hama province on Friday.
The sources said that the Syrian warplanes bombed the ISIL gathering centers in Uqairibat village to the East of Salamiyeh city, killing a number of terrorists and destroying their vehicles and military equipment.
The terrorist groups pulled back forces from the al-Jabboul village and its nearby areas after their positions came under heavy attacks of the Syrian army and popular forces.
The militants also suffered heavy casualties in the army troops’ attacks.
Earlier today, the army sources said that the Takfiri militant groups positioned in the nearby areas of al-Amara and Tallit al-Mahdia suffered heavy death toll in the Syrian army’s offensives and retreated from the battlefield.
The army said that the two abovementioned villages are under the full control of the Syrian troops now.
On Friday, the Syrian Army announced that its troops, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Russian air support, have recaptured two other villages in Southwest Aleppo province.
The army said that the militant groups retreated from al-Huweiz and al-Qarasi after their positions came under attack of the Syrian forces.
Also on Friday, the Army and Hezbollah forces pushed back militant groups from vast areas in the Northern Aleppo province, and recaptured at least three more villages.
Sources said that the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance recaptured Ghayghar, al-Ajoubiyah Farms and Tal Mafless after fierce clashes with the militants of Liwaa Suqour al-Sham and Harakat Nour al-Deen Al-Zinki.
The Syrian army on Thursday won back control over 9 villages in Aleppo.
The Syrian army and popular defense forces, backed by Russian warplanes, freed vast areas in Aleppo Province from the control of the Takfiri militants, killed a senior terrorist commander and took a wide stride towards the strategic Kuweires military airbase.
The Syrian forces regained control of al-Safira village in the Southern countryside of Aleppo in the early hours of Thursday, killing dozens of terrorists, including their senior field commander Uwais al-Qoqazi.
Later, the army also won back the villages of Balas, Jouret al-Hajjash, Rasm al-Skeikh Qiqan, Deir Salibah, Kafer Obeid, al-Halabiah and Teir al-Ward.
A few hours later on Thursday the army regained control of al-Ayyubiah village in the Southern countryside of Aleppo.
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