Syria in Past 24 Hours:

Militants in More Regions Join Peace Plan with Army

Rasa - Militants in seven more villages and towns in Homs province handed over their weapons to the Syrian army and joined peace agreement with Damascus government.

News ID: 431110

Date: 20 July 2017 - 23:04

RNA - Militants in seven more villages and towns in Homs province handed over their weapons to the Syrian army and joined peace agreement with Damascus government.

Homs

The Russian Defense Ministry said that gunmen in seven villages and towns in Homs province surrendered to the army and joined the nationwide reconciliation plan, adding, "The total number of regions, towns, settlements and villages that have thus far ended fight with the Syrian army stands at 2,032."

The ministry added that talks between the army and representatives of the militants are underway in the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, Hama, Homs and Quneitra.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army troops continued to hit ISIL's defense lines in the depth of the country's Badiyeh (desert) and managed to impose control over more positions en route to the key town of al-Sukhnah.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL East of al-Heil energy field in Eastern Homs and managed to take back al-Heil gas station.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units shelled heavily ISIL's positions near al-Sukhnah, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

A military source said that ISIL terrorists are fleeing towards Deir Ezzur after the Russian and Syrian fighter jets intensified airstrikes in Syria's Badiyeh and destroyed ISIL's command centers and warehouses.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian army forces continued to hit ISIL's positions in Eastern Homs and drove terrorists out of more positions in the depth of Badiyeh towards the town of al-Sukhnah, the last main stronghold of the terrorist group before Deir Ezzur.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in the depth of Badiyeh along the road that connects al-Heil oilfield to al-Sukhnah and managed to take control over several positions 2km East of al-Heil in Northeast Palmyra city.

The army men deployed in Tafheh al-Janoubi also advanced against ISIL towards the Northeast and imposed control over several positions 2km to the Homs-Palmyra highway in Eastern Homs.

The army units further fortified the newly-captured positions in Eastern Homs.

In the meantime, the Syrian Air Force pounded ISIL's positions and movements in the towns and villages of al-Sukhnah, Humeimeh, Shandakhiyeh al-Janoubi, al-Salehiyeh, Mosheirefeh al-Shamali and Um al-Reish, destroying all the targets and killing a number of terrorists.

Hama

Media reports said that hundreds of families have returned to their regions in Northern Hama following the clean up operation of the Syrian Army's engineering units in the region.

The Syrian state news agency reported that hundreds of families that had fled their homes for fear of terrorists' threats have returned to the villages and towns of Souran, Taybat al-Imam, Ma'ardes, Kawkab and Ma'aden in Northern Homs.

The agency said that the engineering units have defused bombs and landmines planted by the terrorist groups in the region.

Damascus

The Syrian Army troop and the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, backed up by the Russian Air Force, are to kick off a fresh round of operations against ISIL and Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) at border with Lebanon, Arab media reports said.

The Arabic-language al-Hadath news reported that the tactical plans have been prepared for military operation against ISIL and Al-Nusra Front in Jaroud mountain and the Syrian soldiers and Hezbollah fighters, equipped by modern Russian weapons, will start imminently their operation against terrorists.

In the meantime, the Russian Air Force will support the Syrian soldiers and Hezbollah with surveillance and combat missions in the operation.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army has embarked on reinvigorating its positions at the borders with Syria to defend border villages against possible revenge attacks of the terrorists and block their flow into Lebanese territories while fleeing the battlefields in Syria.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian Army troops continued to clash with Al-Nusra Front in Eastern Ghouta and managed to impose control over more positions and buildings in Ein Terma region.

The army soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with Al-Nusra in Ein Terma and drove terrorists out of several buildings Northwest of the meat-packing company.

The army men also advanced against Al-Nusra from al-Kheir bazaars and reached the Kuyen shopping center in Ein Terma Wadi region.

A number of Al-Nusra terrorists were killed or wounded in the clashes.

Raqqa

The Syrian Army troops have thus far captured large areas in Badiyeh (desert) of Raqqa, inching closer to the Deir Ezzur city that is under the siege of the ISIL terrorists, field sources said.

The sources said that the Syrian Army has captured a number of energy fields in Southwestern Raqqa, deploying the provincial borders with Homs.

The sources further added that the army soldiers have won back hundreds of square kilometers of lands in the province, and deployed at Mount al-Bushra that was once along the path normally taken by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the dead ISIL chief.

Deploying at Mount al-Bushra that links Raqqa to Deir Ezzur, the army forces are only 50km away from the Northwestern borders with Deir Ezzur.

Idlib

Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) engaged in fierce clashes with Ahrar al-Sham rival terrorist group in several regions in Southern Idlib and managed to take control of several positions.

A fresh round of heavy infighting erupted between Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham in the villages and towns of Iblin, Haas, Kansafreh, Hazarin, Kafr Nabal, Kafruma and Idlib, leaving several militants dead or wounded.

A number of militants from both sides were captured too.

Field sources reported that Tahrir al-Sham took control of Ahrar al-Sham's checkpoint along Hawarin-Kafr Nabal road, the town of Hazarin and another checkpoint at the Western entrance of the town of Kafruma in Southern Idlib.

The sources said that Ahrar al-Sham dispatched more forces and equipment to the town of Hazarin in Idlib's countryside to attack the positions of Tahrir al-Sham.

Also, Tahrir al-Sham sent a large volume of military hardware to the villages of Jabal (mount) al-Zaweiyeh.

Based on the field reports Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham have engaged in heavy fighting in the villages of Jabal al-Zawiyeh up to the village of Haas.

The reports added that the two warring groups have gone on full alert in Bab al-Hawa passageway and Northern Idlib.

Deir Ezzur

Local sources confirmed that a large number of ISIL terrorist group's commanders have started fleeing towns in Eastern Deir Ezzur following the recent advances of the Syrian Army troops in Eastern Homs and Southern Raqqa towards Deir Ezzur.

The sources said that a large number of ISIL field commanders have fled the town of al-Mayadeen and its surroundings in Southeastern Deir Ezzur after the army troops in Raqqa and Homs deserts managed to advance against terrorists.

The sources further added that ISIL Commander in the town of al-Ashareh Northeast of al-Mayadeen Barakat Motaleb nom de guerre Qasoureh al-Ashari has fled the battlefield.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Air Force carried out a fresh round of combat flights over ISIL-held regions in Deir Ezzur as Army troops continued their advances against terrorists in Raqqa and Homs provinces towards Deir Ezzur province.

The army aircraft targeted ISIL's movements and strongholds around of Deir Ezzur airbase, Zamen battalion base, the village of al-Janineh, al-Kanamat passageway, and the neighborhoods of al-Hamidiyeh and al-Sina'ah.

Tens of ISIL terrorists were killed and several positions, vehicles and a large volume of their military equipment were destroyed in the air raids.

In the meantime, local sources in Southeastern Deir Ezzur reported that unknown assailants set fire at one of the media centers of the ISIL near al-Bakreh square in the town of al-Mayadeen.

The Syrian Army forces continued to hit ISIL's positions in Eastern Homs and drove terrorists out of more positions in the depth of Badiyeh (desert) near the town of al-Sukhnah, the last main stronghold of the terrorist group before Deir Ezzur.

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