Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Wins Back Key Town in Homs Province

Rasa - The Syrian army continued its advances in Homs by taking full control over more strategic areas and towns in the province.

News ID: 431500

Date: 07 August 2017 - 23:15

RNA - The army units drove out the ISIL terrorists from the key town of al-Sukhnah, inflicting heavy losses on the militants.

The terrorists in Homs province sustained heavy losses in tough battle with the Syrian army.

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

Homs

The Syrian Army troops won the street-battle against the ISIL in the key town of al-Sukhnah, imposing full control over the town's neighborhoods, military sources confirmed.

The army men pushed ISIL back from the strategic town of al-Sukhnah Northeast of Palmyra city after hours of clashes in the town's neighborhoods.

ISIL has suffered heavy casualties in the operation, the sources added.

They went on to say that the army's engineering units are now defusing landmines and bombs planted by the ISIL in the town's streets and buildings.

In the meantime, the Syrian Air Force has been targeting ISIL positions in the town of Humeimeh and its surrounding areas near the provincial border with Deir Ezzur province, inflicting major casualties on the terrorists.

Reports said earlier today that the army troops engaged in very tough battle with ISIL terrorists in different neighborhoods of the key town of al-Sukhnah and managed to impose control over more positions.

The army men clashed fiercely with ISIL in the last stronghold of the terrorists in Eastern Homs and captured the Western neighborhood of the town.

Also, the army units advanced against ISIL from the Southern flank and seized control over the town's hospital.

Meantime, a military source said that al-Sukhnah is under the army's siege from the South, South-West and South-East, adding that the army men plan to advance towards Bazaar following the capture of the hospital.

The source added that the army has dispatched a large number of forces and a large volume of equipment from Quneitra to al-Sukhnah.

The source went on to say that a large number of ISIL terrorists have been killed or wounded and their military hardware has been destroyed in the battle.

Hama

The Syrian Army troops engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in Eastern Hama, killing a number of them, including a notorious security commander.

Abu Issa al-Salbawi, a security commander of ISIL in Aqayrabat region, was killed along with a number of militants after their defense lines were stormed by the army men in Eastern Hama.

The army soldiers drove ISIL out of the village of Marina Southeast of the town of Ithriya, leaving a number of terrorists, including al-Salbawi dead.

Local sources said on Saturday that the security commander of ISIL in the strategic town of Aqayrabat was killed by unknown assailants.

The sources reported that Abu Qeis al-Salbawi, the security commander of ISIL in the terrorist-held town of Aqayrabat in Eastern Hama, was killed by unknown attackers along with two of his aides.

In the meantime, the Syrian Army troops engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL along the oil pipeline East of the town of al-Salamiyah, killing and wounding a number of terrorists and seizing a BMP vehicle.

Also, a military source confirmed that the army men took back the positions lost to the ISIL in areas surrounding the oil pipeline and fortified them.

Meanwhile, the Syrian air force carried out several combat sorties over ISIL's strongholds in the villages of Junb al-Albawi, Abu Hanaya, Salba and Abu Habilat in Eastern Hama, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

Deir Ezzur

Local sources reported that a large arms and ammunition depot of the ISIL was detonated during a popular uprising in a village on the Western countryside of Deir Ezzur city.

The sources reported that a number of residents of the village of al-Masrab detonated ISIL's arms and ammunition depot near the water reservoirs.

The depot was previously transferred from the village of al-Tabni to al-Masrab.

In the meantime, one of the members of the ISIL was killed in clashes with civilians at the Eastern entrance of al-Tabni, the sources said.

The sources further added that the commander in charge of the salary of ISIL's Mohajereen (migrants) has fled the region with $1mln.

Also, several terrorists were killed or wounded in clashes among ISIL members in the village of al-Shamitiyeh Northwest of Deir Ezzur.

Earlier reports said that the Syrian Air Force carried out several combat flights over ISIL's movements and positions in Deir Ezzur, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The army aircraft bombed heavily ISIL's movements and positions in Tal (hill) Alloush, Tal Barouk, al-Kanamat passageway, al-Maqaber (cemetery) region and in the two villages of al-Tabni and al-Shamitiyeh.

In the meantime, ISIL's concentration centers in the neighborhoods of al-Omal and al-Hamidiyeh in Deir Ezzur city and in Jonayd Division base and Panorama base came under heavy air raids by the Syrian fighter jets.

A large number of ISIL terrorists were killed or wounded and a number of their vehicles were destroyed in the assaults.

Damascus

The Syrian Army troops, backed up by artillery and missile fire, raided the positions of Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) in Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, pushing the terrorist front in region to total collapse.

The army men stormed Al-Nusra's defense lines in the regions of Ein Terma and Jobar and managed to take control of several buildings East of al-Manasher square in the Southern part of Jobar.

The army soldiers also discovered several tunnel in Ein Terma and Jobar and detonated some of them.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units pounded Al-Nusra positions in Ein Terma, destroying one of their command centers near al-Khansa school.

A depot of arms and ammunition was also targeted in army's fire in Ein Terma.

The army's operation in Eastern Ghouta has forced the terrorist group to face continued defeats and full collapse.

The clashes continue in the region as Faylaq al-Rahman militants have not reached an agreement with the army over the establishment of de-escalation zone and the Al-Nusra is not included in such agreements.

Syria-Lebanon Border

The Lebanese Army troops on Sunday stormed ISIL's defense lines in mountainous regions at border with Syria and drove them back from several hills and heights.

The army units, backed up by artillery and missile units' heavy fire, engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL in Lebanon's border heights with Syria and managed to impose control over the strategic hills of Abu Ali and al-Zalil al-Aqra'a in Ra'as Ba'albak heights.

The army also captured al-Najasah hill and al-Zanar hills near Wadi Shabib region between Arasl and Ra'as Ba'albak heights.

The ISIL has reportedly suffered heavy casualties in the operation.

Field sources reported earlier on Sunday that the Lebanese Army artillery units and Air Force pounded ISIL's positions in the heights at border with Syria to pave the way for the ground forces to kick off an imminent operation against the terrorists in the region.

The Lebanese army has dispatched more forces and equipment to border heights of al-Qa'a and Ba'albak in the Northeastern parts of the country, the sources said.

The sources said that the army's missile and artillery units along with fighter jets have been continuously targeting ISIL's positions in the hills and positions of Khirbet Davoud, Ra'as al-Kaf, al-Washal, Jabal al-Mokheiramah, Shamis al-Ash and Darb al-Arab in Ra'as Ba'albak heights to pave the ground for the army's upcoming operation in the border region.

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