Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Reinvigorates Positions in Homs

Rasa - The Syrian army forces consolidated their positions in Southern Homs in preparation for a mop-up operation against the ISIL in the region.

News ID: 436882

Date: 16 March 2018 - 21:18

RNA - The army units strengthened their positions in regions near al-Mohseh mountains and al-Baredah hills as well as East of the town of al-Quayratayn in Badiyeh (desert) region South-West of Homs province.

The Syrian army sought to prevent the ISIL's possible attacks against the region and used the reinvigorated positions to launch purging operations in areas still under the ISIL occupation towards the al-Tanf border passageway.

Meantime, the Syrian army continued its military advances in other parts of Syria over past 24 hours.

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

Homs

The Syrian army forces consolidated their positions in Southeastern Homs, and were preparing to launch a mop-up operation against the ISIL in the region.

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted a military source as saying on Thursday that the army units have strengthened their positions in regions near al-Mohseh mountains and al-Baredah hills as well as East of the town of al-Quayratayn in Badiyeh (desert) region South-West of Homs province.

The report added that the Syrian army seeks to prevent ISIL's possible attacks against the region and use the reinvigorated positions to launch purging operations in areas still under the ISIL occupation towards the al-Tanf border passageway.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army units engaged in heavy clashes with the ISIL in regions near al-Mohseh in Southeastern Homs.

The Syrian fighter jets pounded the ISIL positions and moves in areas of clashes and near al-Hayl oilfield and al-Mo'ezileh region and East of Hamimeh region, killing and wounding a number of terrorists and destroying their military equipment.

Meantime, the Syrian army launched special military operations in response to the terrorists' violation of ceasefire in Northeastern Homs, smashing one of their important bases in the region and killing tens of militants.

Field sources reported on Thursday that the army soldiers, supported by artillery and missile fire, attacked a terrorist base in al-Tasfiyeh station North of the village of al-Ameriyeh in Northeastern Homs.

They added that during the operations, the terrorists' base was destroyed and over 30 militants were killed and wounded.

The terrorists had violated the ceasefire and launched several offensives against the Syrian army positions in Northern Homs in recent days.

Field sources reported last Saturday that the Syrian army has dispatched a large number of forces and military hardware to Badiyeh of Homs to reinvigorate security of its key positions amid reports on the deployment of more US forces in al-Tanf base in Southeastern Homs.

The sources said that the army has forwarded more troops and equipment from Palmyra (Tadmur) city towards Southern Badiyeh of Homs and near the town of al-Quaryatayn.

The sources further said that the army intends to create a strong security belt around al-Quaryatayn, Hawarin and the Mahin strategic region.

The sources added that the army has widened the buffer zone around al-Quaryatan to 80 km in the Eastern and Southern directions to prevent infiltration of terrorist groups in the region.

They said that the army's deployment in Southern Badiyeh will also prevent the terrorists from moving between Eastern and Western Qalamoun to al-Tanf base in Southeastern Homs.

Hama

Terrorists have sustained heavy defeat in failed attacks against the Syrian army in Northern Hama, losing two of their military commanders, field sources said on Thursday.

The sources reported that the army forces killed tens of terrorists and seized their weapons and military equipment during continued clashes with the terrorists near the two towns of Kernaz and al-Hamamiyat in Northwestern Hama.

They confirmed the terrorists' heavy defeat in attacks against the army positions, noting that the army units won back control of several points in Kernaz that they had lost earlier.

Also reports said that during the clashes, Abu Asriyeh, the commander of al-Khatab Brigade, and Hatam Mohammed al-Ra'adoun, the commander of Jeish al-Nasr terrorist group, were killed in Kernaz.

Damascus

The Syrian army earned control of over half of the strategic town of Jisrin during the operations against the terrorists in Eastern Ghouta of Damascus after the end of the daily ceasefire.

The army forces, supported by artillery and missile fire, engaged in clashes with the terrorists in Jisrin in South of Eastern Ghouta, advancing in the depth of the region.

A field source underlined the army's advance in the Southern and Eastern fronts of Jisrin, saying that the Syrian army soldiers have won control of over half of the region.

He added that other army units have engaged in clashes with the militants in the town of Hamouriyeh in North of Jisrin, winning back several points in the region.

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