Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Russian Air Force Inflicts Heavy Losses on Terrorists in Homs Province

Rasa - The Russian fighter jets hit hard the terrorists' military positions and hardware in the Eastern part of Homs province.

News ID: 426182

Date: 31 December 2016 - 22:31

RNA - The terrorists sustained heavy losses in the air raids by the Russian warplanes.

The Syrian army, meantime, continued its advances in key provinces across Syria.

Homs

Russian fighter jets carried out a fresh round of combat flights over ISIL's concentration centers in energy-rich regions in Eastern Homs, inflicting major losses on the militants.

The Russian jets began Friday's aerial campaign by targeting the ISIL's positions in the gas rich towns of 'Arak and Sukhnah, destroying a number of supply trucks destined for Raqqa province.

The Russian Air Force further bombed a gathering of ISIL in Jabal (mount) Sha'er, killing a number of terrorists.

The Russian Air Force has also been striking a number of mountaintops North of Palmyra.

Reports said earlier on Friday that the Syrian Army troops engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in three different points in Eastern Homs, inflicting at least 126 casualties on the militants.

The army men repelled ISIL's attack on their positions Northeast of T4 airbase, killing 70 militants and destroying seven tanks and 12 machinegun-equipped vehicles of the terrorists.

The army soldiers targeted a vehicle of ISIL near the al-Awamid Height close to al-Quaryatayn, leaving 6 terrorists dead.

The army troops, meantime, clashed with ISIL terrorists in another flank near T4 airbase, killing 50 terrorists and destroying three tanks and five vehicles.

The army's artillery and missile unis also shelled the positions of al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) in al-Kan mountain in al-Rastan region in Northern Homs. There is still no report on possible casualties.

The resistance forces also targeted Fatah al-Sham's centers in the village of Sa'an al-Aswad, killing several militants, including their commander Mohammad al-Zahayk Abu Abideh.

Aleppo

The Turkish Armed Forces announced on Friday that the Russian warplanes have carried out three airstrikes on the ISIL positions in the town of al-Bab in Northern Aleppo.

The Turkish Armed Forces confirmed in a statement that at least 12 ISIL members were killed in Russian air raids South of al-Bab.

The Turkish military also said one of its soldiers was killed and five others were wounded in an ISIL attack to the South of al Azrak.

Also, Turkish warplanes carried out several airstrikes on ISIL's defense lines in al-Bab and Daglabash, destroying 17 targets and killing 26 militants, the statement said.

Damascus

Syrian Army troops struck the defense lines of Fatah al-Sham Front (previously known as the al-Nusra Front) in Northwestern Damascus to drive the terrorists out of their last positions at the border with Lebanon.

The army soldiers restarted hitting Fatah al-Sham's concentration centers in Wadi al-Bardi in Western Ghouta after the terrorist group refused to accept terms of surrender.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with Fatah al-Sham at a number of points in the Wadi al-Bardi region on Friday to recapture the few villages along the Lebanese border that are still under the control of the Al-Qaeda offshoot near the border-crossing into the Beqa'a province.

Reports said earlier on Friday that the army troops, backed up by the country's military helicopters, stormed terrorist groups' positions in Wadi al-Bardi region in Western Ghouta, killing and wounding a number of militants.

The army soldiers, receiving intensive aerial support from army choppers, struck the defense lines of Fatah al-Sham Front in al-Hosseiniyeh and Basimeh from Majma Kaftaro direction, inflicting a heavy death toll on the militants.

The choppers also targeted Al-Nusra bases in Jaroud Basimeh in Wadi al-Bardi.

Reports said also on Friday that the terrorist groups that had contaminated drinking water of Damascus a couple of days ago shut off the gas flow to the city in its countryside hours ago, forcing millions of civilians into dire humanitarian situation.

The militants damaged the gas pipelines that flow through the Eastern Qalamoun town of Jaroud and supply gas for residential areas in Damascus city and its countryside.

Militants had stated through their media pages earlier that they intend to punish the people living in government-held areas to retaliate government forces' military success in Eastern Ghouta, Western Ghouta and Aleppo.

Idlib

Syrian Army's missile units targeted the strongholds of an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Southern Idlib on Friday, inflicting major losses on the militants.

The army units fired several missiles from the Lattakia province at the positions and gatherings of the Turkestan Islamic Party's (an Al-Qaeda offshoot) in Jisr Al-Shughour, causing massive explosions that could be heard as far west as Salma.

A large number of militants were killed or wounded in the attack.

The attack came as a ceasefire went into force between the Syrian government and the so-called moderate militant groups that of course excludes terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda offshoots like Al-Nusra Front, ISIL and Turkestan Islamic Party.

Reports said earlier on Friday that the terrorists of Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa engaged in serious clashes West of the town of Kahn Seikhoun in Southern Idlib, killing or wounding several fighters.

Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa suffered major losses after they clashed with each other fiercely in Kafr Ein intersection near Khan Sheikhoun.

Jund al-Aqsa has fully joined Fatah al-Sham Front after its differences with Ahrar al-Sham grew up in recent months.

Deir Ezzur

ISIL suffered a number of casualties and its military hardware sustained major damage in a failed attack on the positions of the Syrian Army troops in the neighborhoods of the Eastern city of Deir Ezzur.

The army soldiers fended off ISIL's offensive that was aimed at breaking through the government forces' positions in al-Roshdiyeh neighborhood, killing and wounding a number of them and destroying their equipment.

The ISIL that suffered major casualties in the failed attack pulled the remaining of its forces back from the battlefield to evade more losses.

Hama

Syrian Army troops and National Defense Forces fended off Jund al-Aqsa terrorists' heavy attack on their positions near a key village in Northern Hama, inflicting several casualties on the terrorists.

The army soldiers and popular forces repelled Jund al-Aqsa's assault on their positions in the predominately Christian village of Mhardeh, killing and wounding a number of them.

In the meantime, unknown assailants targeted the vehicle of a senior commander of the Free Syrian Army in Northern Hama. There is yet no report on the identity and conditions of the commander, but unofficial reports said he has been badly injured and is in vital conditions.

847/940