Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Repels Attacks on Gov't Positions in Aleppo

Rasa - The Syrian army soldiers repelled terrorists' attacks on their positions in Aleppo province after hours of clashes, inflicting major losses on them.

News ID: 429696

Date: 17 May 2017 - 22:03

RNA - The ISIL terrorists' attacks to capture the government forces' positions in Southeastern Aleppo were fended off by the strong defense of the Syrian military men.

Meantime, the Syrian army and popular forces continued their military advances in other parts of Syria, including Homs and Damascus, over the past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army's operations in other provinces across Syria.

Aleppo

The Syrian Army troops engaged in heavy fighting with ISIL in Southeastern Aleppo and repelled their attack on the pro-government forces' positions along a key road connecting Hama to Aleppo, field sources said.

The sources said that simultaneous with the army's rapid advances in Eastern Aleppo to drive ISIL out of the province, the ISIL launched a large-scale assault to cut off the Syrian government’s only supply route to Aleppo province once again, hitting hard the army positions in the al-Azib Valley near the Ithriya-Khanasser Road.

The army soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL and fended off their attack, inflicting major losses on them.

ISIL has launched several rounds of attacks to take control of Ithriya-Khanasser road in the last two days after the army men impose full control over Jarah airbase and its surroundings.

Homs

The Syrian Army troops continued to hit ISIL's defense lines hard in Central Homs and managed to capture more strategic hills, inflicting tens of casualties on the terrorists.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL Northwest of the T4 airbase approximately 20km away from the Eastern outskirts of Homs city, capturing a number of hills East and Northwest of al-Tafhah region.

Tens of ISIL fighters were killed and several military vehicle of the terrorist group were destroyed in the attack.

In the meantime, the army continued military operation in the Palmyra countryside and hit ISIL's strongholds along the main road to the strategic T-3 Pumping Station East of the Talilah Crossroad.

The Syrian pro-government forces are to capture the T-3 Pumping Station, which is a strategic site along the road to Southwestern Deir Ezzur.

Damascus

Media activists reported that tens of terrorists have been killed and tens of others have been wounded in fierce clashes between Faylaq al-Rahman and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) with Jeish al-Islam in Eastern Ghouta.

The sources said that 2 Ahrar al-Sham fighters, including a military emir, and five members of Jeish al-Islam were killed in heavy infighting between Jeish al-Islam and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at and Faylaq al-Sham in the regions of al-Ash'ari, al-Aftaris, Beit Sawa and Beit Na'em in Eastern Ghouta.

The sources further said that over 70 militants from both sides were injured in the clashes, and added some of the injured are in critical condition, increasing the possibility of higher casualties.

In the meantime, several civilians were also killed in the clashes among terrorist groups.

Meantime, the entire gunmen and their family members have left al-Qaboun district in Eastern Damascus in the second and final phase of an evacuation deal concluded between the Syrian Army and the militants, a local official confirmed Tuesday.

Damascus Governor General Bashr al-Saban said that 3,377 people including 1,604 gunmen left al-Qaboun district on Sunday and Monday within the framework of the second and final phase of the evacuation deal between the army and the militants.

He further said that a large number of militants, who laid down arms and joined peace with the army, received government amnesty and retuned to normal life, adding that the gunmen that had links to foreign countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia left the region for Northern Syria.

The Governor stressed that the area of al-Qaboun is now completely clear of terrorists after the completion of the second and final phase of the evacuation of the armed groups.

He affirmed that the engineering units started to comb the area to dismantle Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and landmines which the armed groups left behind before leaving the region.

Idlib

750 gunmen and their family members were evacuated from al-Wa'er district in the tenth phase of an evacuation deal between the Syrian Army and militants, local officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The sources said that 200 gunmen that had not endorsed the peace agreement with the Syrian government along with 550 of their family members left al-Wa'er  for the militant-held regions in Idlib.

In the meantime, 140 militants that handed over their weapons to the relevant officials in al-Wa'er and applied for government pardoning received their amnesty in the last two weeks.

847/940