Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Regains Control of More Areas in Homs, Inches Closer to Winning Entire City

Rasa - The Syrian army continued its advances in Homs, and captured more strategic districts in the city as local officials said that the government forces are close to taking full control of the entire city.

News ID: 429817

Date: 22 May 2017 - 23:04

RNA - The army units drove the ISIL terrorists out of key areas and their surrounding areas in Homs city.

The Syrian troops inflicted heavy losses on the terrorists in fierce clashes over controlling of strategic regions. They also destroyed military equipment of the terrorists.

The Syrian army also continued its advances in other key provinces across Syria.

Homs

Local officials underscored that sustainable security will be soon restored to Homs city after full evacuation of the remaining pockets of gunmen from al-Wa'er district.

The sources said that the Syrian Army soldiers will soon restore full security to Homs city as the last phase of the evacuation of gunmen that refused to endorse the peace agreement with the Syrian Army from al-Wa'er district is underway.

They added that Homs city will be emptied of terrorists and weapon as soon as the last phase of the evacuation of gunmen and their family members from al-Wa'er ends.

The 12th phase of the peace agreement in al-Wa'er is under way.

Homs Governor General Talal al-Barazi said some units of the interior security forces will enter al-Wa'er and will be deployed in the district's main parts to guard civilians' rights.

He further added that peace talks with gunmen in al-Rastan and al-Houleh are also underway.

Local sources confirmed earlier on Sunday that a sum of 780 gunmen and their family members were evacuated from al-Wa'er district near Homs city to be relocated to militant-held regions in Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

The sources said that 250 gunmen that had not endorsed the peace agreement with the Syrian Army left al-Wa'er district along with 623 of their family members for Idlib province and the border town of Jarabulus in Northern Aleppo on 20 buses within the framework of the last phase of an evacuation deal between militants and the army.

The sources added that evacuation of gunmen from al-Wa'er was carried out under the supervision of the Syrian Red Crescent, interior security forces and the Russian military police.

Aleppo

The Syrian Army troops continued their military operations against the ISIL terrorists in Eastern Aleppo and captured more strategic farms and regions after hours of non-stop clashes.

The army soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL and managed to take control over Tal Hasan train station, al-Qayed station, the third Farm and the farms in areas around sugar factory near the town of Maskana in Eastern Aleppo.

The local sources confirmed that after the capture of Tal Hasan train station, the army men created a large safe region around the town of Deir Hafer.

Sweida

The Syrian Army troops engaged in fierce clashes with terrorist groups along Sweida-Dara'a road, repelling their attack and inflicting major losses on them.

The terrorists of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) launched a surprise attack along the Sweida-Dara'a road, targeting the army's defense lines near the historical town of Busra al-Sham.

Tahrir al-Sham and its terrorists allies attempted to advance into the Southwestern countryside of Sweida, but, they would find themselves overwhelmed by the army’s 5th Armored Division and pro-government National Defense Forces (NDF).

According to a military source in Sweida, the terrorists suffered heavy casualties during their ill-fated assault East of Busra al-Sham.

Reports said earlier on Sunday that the army troops continued their anti-terrorism operation towards the border region near al-Tanf passageway and managed to recapture a key region in Sweida province near the border with Jordan.

The army men engaged in tough battle with Jeish al-Hor terrorists in Eastern Sweida and managed to take back control over the strategic region of al-Zalaf Dam region at Sweida-Jordan border.

The army men also drove terrorists out of Zahra Um al-Salasel and al-Eiseh.

Well-informed sources said, meantime, that the army units also took control over 50 sq/km of Sweida Badiyeh (desert) which was under the control of the terrorists of Jeish al-Ahrar al-Ashayer and Jeish al-Aswad al-Sharqiyeh.

Deir Ezzur

The Syrian Air Force carried out several combat flights over ISIL's movements and concentration centers in the Southern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The army aircraft bombed ISIL's positions heavily in al-Maqaber (cemetery) region, killing and wounding a large number of terrorists and destroying their arms and ammunition.

The Army's missile and artillery units, meantime, opened fire at ISIL's gathering centers and movements in around Regiment 137 base along the road of al-Maleha, killing and wounding a number of terrorists.

Damascus

A sum of 2,650 gunmen and their family members have left Barzeh district for other militant held regions, Damascus Governor General Bashr al-Saban announced.

Al-Saban said that 1,076 gunmen that refused to join peace with the Syrian government left Barzeh district along with 1,596 of their family members for other militant-held regions in line with the third phase of the implementation of peace plan in the district.

Local officials confirmed earlier in May that over 1,200 gunmen and their family members left Barzeh and Tishrin districts for Idlib province in the second phase of an evacuation deal between the Syrian Army and the militants.

Bashr al-Saban said at the time that 1,246 people, including 718 gunmen, were evacuated from the districts of Tishrin in Eastern Damascus and Barzeh in Northern Damascus.

He added that the evacuated gunmen and their family members left their district for Idlib province.

In the meantime, tens of gunmen that had not joined the peace agreement with the Syrian government left Barzeh along with their family members for Northern Aleppo.

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