Syria in Past 24 Hours:

Strategic Heights Near Palmyra under Army's Control Again

Rasa - The Syrian army forces continued advances to establish more security in the recently-liberated Palmyra (Tadmur) in Eastern Homs and drove the ISIL terrorists out of the strategic heights of al-Talileh in the Southeastern parts of the ancient city.

News ID: 428322

Date: 21 March 2017 - 23:58

RNA - The Syrian army forces continued advances to establish more security in the recently-liberated Palmyra (Tadmur) in Eastern Homs and drove the ISIL terrorists out of the strategic heights of al-Talileh in the Southeastern parts of the ancient city.

Homs

The Syrian army forces continued operations to establish more security in Palmyra and drove the ISIL terrorists out of another strategic region.

The army soldiers engaged in heavy clashes with the ISIL militants in the Eastern parts of Homs, killing and wounding a large number of them.

They could push back the terrorists from al-Talileh mountains in the Southeastern parts of Palmyra and retook control of strategic area.

The army has been trying to stretch its chain of security around the ancient city of Palmyra in recent days.

Also in the past 24 hours, more militants ended fight against the Syrian Army in Homs province and received government amnesty, local sources declared on Monday.

The sources said that 150 militants from al-Wa'er neighborhood in Homs that had laid down arms and applied for government pardoning were granted amnesty.

Relevant reports also said on Sunday that more than 1,400 militants who rejected the government's peace offer have left al-Wa'er district along with their family members.

According to SANA news agency, over 1,400 gunmen and members of their families left al-Wa'er neighborhood in the Western outskirts of Homs city for the Northern part of Homs province as part of the reconciliation agreement that was reached in the neighborhood, paving the way for the return of all state services.

432 gunmen who rejected the reconciliation agreement and 1,056 of their family members have headed towards the Northern territories of Homs.

Damascus

The Syrian army forces pushed back the terrorists' massive offensive on their positions in the Northern parts of Jobar and laid siege on tens of militants in the region after launching a new military operation.

The Syrian soldiers could besiege a large number of terrorists who had attacked the army bases in Jobar, in the buildings near al-Ma'amel district.

The army had sent recruitments and military equipment to Jobar after the terrorists attacked the region from al-Qalamoun.

According to field sources, the army commanders have called on the besieged terrorists in al-Ma'amel district to lay down their arms and surrender to the government forces.

Also on Monday, a Syrian military source dismissed media reports claiming that the al-Nusra (Fatah al-Sham) Front has occupied certain parts of al-Abbasiyeen square and the industrial region in Damascus.

"The army is in control of the regions that had been evacuated on Monday morning after it came under two suicide attacks by the militants, and the army troops have inflicted heavy loss and damage on the terrorists," the source said.

He added that the army forces have also regained control over al-Jobar region's power department and the buildings of the weaving company and Mercedes firm and repelled the terrorist groups' massive attacks.

Elaborating on the terrorists' recent offensive against the army positions in Damascus that failed, the source said that the attacks were headed by al-Nusra Front to open their way into the parking lots, al-Abbasiyeen square and the industrial region between al-Jobar and al-Qaboun districts and reopening the supply routes for the terrorists besieged in al-Jobar through al-Qaboun-Barzeh-Tishreen districts.

He underlined that the army's artillery and missile units, supported by the air force, could repulse the massive offensive, and killed and wounded a large number of terrorists.

Meantime, other field sources in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus dismissed reports on the Syrian army's withdrawal from near Douma city.

Aleppo

The Syrian army soldiers continued their military operations in Eastern Aleppo and seized back control of more regions from the ISIL terrorist group.

The army forces intensified operations to liberate Deir Hafer region and could retake full control of al-Sharimeh village and the nearby farms from the ISIL militants.

A military source said that tens of ISIL terrorists have fled the battleground in the region.

"Over 20 militants were killed during the army operations," he added.

Deir Ezzur

Syrian army units engaged in clashes with the terrorist groups who sought to open their way into the neighborhoods of al-Rushdiyeh and al-Huweiqah in Deir Ezzur in an attempt to attack the locals and the military posts that protect the civilians.

The army units foiled the attack, killing a number of terrorists and injuring many others.

A fortified command post and a barricade of the terrorists were hit and destroyed in al-Rushdiyeh neighborhood, a field source said, stressing that all the militants inside were killed.

The Syrian army units also carried out special operations against the ISIL in Southern Deir Ezzur, advancing in the factories zone after inflicting heavy losses on the terrorists.

The Syrian soldiers also foiled ISIL attacks in the direction of the regiment 137 Base in the Southwestern outskirts of Deir Ezzur and Deir Ezzur military airbase, killing and wounding scores of Takfiri militants.

Raqqa

The US-led coalition fighter jets launched another round of air assault on civilian areas in al-Tabaqa region in Western Raqqa, killing at least 18 Syrian people.

According to local activists, the US coalition carried out an airstrike over al-Andalas farms in Western Raqqa, killing at least 18 civilians near the strategic town of al-Tabaqa.

The US army had previously claimed that only 220 civilians were killed in the air attacks of the coalition under its command in Syria and Iraq since 2014.

The US command also noted that it could not investigate all reports of possible civilian casualties using “traditional investigative methods,” which involves interviewing witnesses and examining the site of the strike.

Instead, the coalition interviewed pilots and servicemen that took part in combat missions to draw results. The US command also reviewed strike surveillance videos and analyzed government and non-governmental organizations’ traditional and social media content.

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