Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Inches Closer to Full Victory in Key Gas Field in Homs

Rasa - The Syrian army and popular forces continued military advances against the ISIL in the Eastern parts of Homs province, and narrowed down their distance from a strategic gas filed Northeast of the ancient city of Palmyra in the last 24 hours.

News ID: 429247

Date: 26 April 2017 - 21:43

RNA - The army units won back several strategic positions Northeast of Palmyra city, and became very close to seizing back al-Sha'er gas field.

The terrorist groups also sustained heavy casualties in other key provinces across Syria.

Homs

The Syrian Army troops continued to hit ISIL's defense lines hard Northeast of the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur), inching closer to complete victory in al-Sha'er gas field.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL terrorists Northeast of Palmyra, winning control over several strategic positions near al-Sha'er gas field, killing over 25 terrorists.

A field source meantime said that the army soldiers won back Heights of 1,062-1,132-1,108-7 and 969.

The source underlined that if the army men drive ISIL out of al-Sha'er energy field they will be capable of restoring full security to the Northern countryside of Palmyra.

Aleppo

Field sources said that the Syrian Army troops are now ready to launch an imminent massive operation against terrorists' defense lines after days of repeated artillery and missile shelling of militant-held regions in Northern and Western Aleppo.

The sources said that the army's artillery and missile units and the country's Air Force have been targeting terrorists' positions in the Western direction of al-Rashedeen 4 and 5 districts, Khan al-Assal settlement, al-Mansoureh settlement and West of Jami 'at al-Zahara district up to the industrial warehouses in al-Lairamoun and Zahra Abd Raba regions towards the Northern borders with Turkey in the last two weeks, facilitating a ground invasion into the militant-held regions.

Meantime, the sources also said that repeated shelling attacks on terrorists' positions and movements in the towns and settlements of Kafr Hamra, Haraytan, Anadan, Hayan and Bayanoun in Northern Aleppo have resulted in the collapse of the terrorists' defense lines, paving the way for a massive attack of the ground troops to end the terrorists' presence in these regions.

According to the sources, the army's main objective is driving a wedge between the Western and Northern parts of Aleppo province and lay siege on the terrorists in the North.

Idlib-Hama

The Syrian Army troops' recent advances have tightened noose on terrorists in Northern Hama, paving the ground for an imminent large-scale operation towards Idlib, military sources said on Tuesday.

The sources said that the terrorists' triangular positions in the towns of Morek, al-Latamina and Kafr Zita is under attack by the army units as government troops are pushing to expand security belt in main regions of Hama province that have been the platform and starting point of the terrorists' attacks.

They added that the army men that have recently captured the town of Souran, Taybat al-Imam and Halfaya now continue their advances in Northern Hama to capture al-Latamina soon.

The sources went on to say that Latamina, Morek and Kafr Zita are the first defense line of the terrorists before Khan Sheikhoun that is the entrance gate to Idlib province.

The Arabic-language al-Akhbar paper also reported that the terrorists are expected to enhance their defense power around these three towns to be able to stand up to the devastating attacks of the Syrian army, as the defeat in these regions will put an end to the terrorist groups' presence in the most important part of Hama province.

Raqqa

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued the fourth phase of the Euphrates Rage Operation and managed to drive ISIL out of over 15 villages and settlements in Raqqa province.

The SDF stormed ISIL's defense lines and took full control over the villages and settlements of Kabash al-Sharqi, Um al-Tonok, Rayan, Tishrin farm, Mosheirehe al-Shamaliyeh, Mosheirefeh al-Janoubiyeh, al-Rahiyat, Beir Jarbou, Jarwa, al-Hattash, Hazimeh, Khalwa Abideh, Holo Abd, Abareh, al-Kaleteh, Sukriyeh and Zohra, inflicting major losses on ISIL.

The Kurdish forces also won back a key neighborhood in the Southern sector of Tabaqa city following a large advance on its Western urban axis.

In the meantime, the SDF managed to seize control over the Alexandria suburb, and now the Kurds have swept through the adjacent Wahab neighborhood.

Kurdish forces also secured the island of Jazirat al-Ayd, a few kilometers North of Lake Assad.

According to latest reports, around 40% of Tabaqa city has been brought under Kurdish control with just a few hundred ISIL militants left in its Northern sector and around the city center.

Deir Ezzur

The Syrian Army troops fended off several attacks of the ISIL terrorists in the Southern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city, inflicting major losses on the militants.

The army units engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL that used hundreds of fighters to break through government forces' positions in al-Maqaber (cemetery) region, Deir Ezzur's airbase and Tamin Brigade base, killing or wounding a large number of them and destroying their equipment.

The army soldiers further carried out a rapid counterattack and took back several positions near Jabal (mount) Harabish from ISIL.

As the Syrian army continues to drive ISIL out of more lands in Deir Ezzur, the US military sources claimed that ISIL is transferring its self-proclaimed capital from Raqqa city to a region in Deir Ezzur province near the border with Iraq.

Reports said that ISIL has evacuated its commanders and their family members from Raqqa and al-Tabaqa cities and has moved them toward the border town or Albu Kamal and other regions near Iraqi border.

"With reports that the ISIL has moved its functioning capital from Raqqa to Mayadin, a large town in Southeastern Deir Ezzur, the Takfiri terrorists are expected to intensify their operations against Syrian government forces in Deir Ezzur city," the sources added.

847/940