Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Repels Terrorists' Attacks on Gov't Positions in Hama

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

News ID: 430380

Date: 16 June 2017 - 17:32

RNA - The terrorists' offensives to capture the government forces' positions in Hama 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 Deir Ezzur and Raqqa, over the past 24 hours.

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

Hama

Field sources reported that the Syrian Army troops managed to fend off ISIL's fresh offensives in Eastern Hama simultaneous with the pro-government forces' rapid advances in the region.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL that carried out several round of attacks to prevail over the pro-government forces' defense lines along the oil pipeline, the villages of al-Barqousiyeh, Arshouneh and Salam and managed to repel their attacks, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

A military source, meantime, reported that the Syrian and Russian fighter jets carried out a number of combat flights over ISIL's positions and movements in the Eastern desert of Hama, killing and wounding a number of them and destroying a major part of their military hardware.

The source added that the army has scored very good advances in Eastern Hama, saying the army men will continue their anti-ISIL operation in the region.

Deir Ezzur

The Syrian Army troops, backed up by the country's Air Force, engaged in a tough battle with ISIL and repelled their attack on the pro-government forces' positions in the Southern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city, killing a number of militants and destroying their arms and ammunition.

The army men engaged in battle with ISIL along the road connecting Panorama base to al-Tanimeh region and on the al-Maqaber (cemetery) Hills, and fended off their offensive.

Over 20 ISIL militants were killed or wounded and one of their tanks was damaged in the failed attack.

In the meantime, the army soldiers fought with ISIL in the neighborhoods of al-Roshdiyeh and al-Huweiqa, killing a number of terrorists and forcing their remaining pockets to retreat.

The army aircraft also pounded ISIL's positions in al-Hamidiyeh neighborhood, Panorama base, al-Maqaber, al-Thardah region, al-Sina'ah, al-Omal and al-Huweiqa neighborhoods, destroying an arms depot in al-Hamidiyeh and killing a number of terrorists.

Local sources, meantime, reported that Abu Sohayb al-Jazrawi, Sadui national deputy commander of Hasaba (ISIL's security and monitoring body), was killed near the village of Abu Khashab Northwest of Deir Ezzur.

Raqqa

The Syrian Army troops continued their anti-ISIL operations in Western Raqqa and managed to take control over several villages near the regions that are controlled by the predominately Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), local sources confirmed on Thursday.

The sources were quoted as saying by the Arabic-language al-Watan daily as saying that the army forces that liberated Sefyan oilfield in Western Raqqa, managed to drive ISIL out of the villages of al-Jahlan and al-Hawareh and deployed near defense lines of the SDF fighters in al-Tabaqa city's countryside.

The paper added that the army soldiers also pushed ISIL back from the village of Bu Souseh West of the village of Abu Kheimeh and the village of al-Sarib (Debeh) West of the village of Anbaj in al-Tabaqa's countryside.

Homs

The Syrian Army has dispatched hundreds of fresh soldiers to Palmyra (Tadmur) city to reinvigorate its troops for an imminent operation to recapture the key town of al-Sukhnah in Eastern Homs, military sources said Thursday.

The sources said that hundreds of fresh army men have arrived in Palmyra following the army men's rapid advances and their control over Arak region to attack ISIL's defense lines in al-Sukhnah.

The sources said that the fresh forces will join their comrades to liberate al-Sukhnah, the last ISIL bastion in Homs.

Army officers in Eastern Homs also confirmed that the Syrian Army has dispatched hundreds of fresh forces to the ancient city of Palmyra as Damascus troops will start a new phase of Anti-ISIL military operation to drive Takfiri terrorists out of the strategic town of al-Sukhnah.

The sources further said that given the liberation of Arak triangle, the army will kick off another operation to hit ISIL in al-Sukhnah that is considered as one of the most important and vital bases of ISIL in Eastern Homs.

The sources said that al-Sukhnah is of great importance to the ISIL so the liberation operation of the town will be a difficult one for the army men, adding that liberation of al-Sukhnah will enable the army men to find its way into Deir Ezzur province.

Dara'a

The Syrian Air Force has been using an advanced strong model of choppers called Flying Tanks to intensify attacks on militants in its recent advances in Dara'a, military sources said.

Wistnik Moradfi website quoted the sources as saying that the air force has been utilizing Mi-24P military helicopters known as Flying Tanks in fighting terrorists in Dara'a.

The website quoted Yuri Liamin as explaining that Mi-25 choppers that are similar to Mi-24P model have recently been utilized in military operations against terrorists in Dara'a, adding that Mi-25 choppers had not earlier been used by the army in the battlefields.

Liamin further added that the Russian fighter jets have not operated in the region, so the Syrian military helicopters are active in Dara'a.

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