Countdown Starts for Syrian Army's Major Assault on Terrorists in Idlib

Rasa - The Syrian Army continues to dispatch more troops to Northern Hama and Southern Idlib as Russian commanders visited battlefields in Northwestern Syria for a final assessment, a media outlet reported on Monday, speculating that the government forces' final battle for Idlib is imminent.

News ID: 438901

Date: 01 August 2018 - 17:56

RNA - The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted field sources as reporting that the army recently dispatched a large number of forces and a large volume of military hardware to Southeastern Idlib, mainly to the town of al-Dhohour and to al-Zalaqiyat in Northern Hama.

Idlib

Sputnik reported that the army intends to free the villages and towns of Kafr Zita, al-Latamina, al-Latmin, al-Zakah, al-Arba'ein, al-Lahaya and Ma'arkaba in the first phase of its upcoming large-scale operation.

The report further said that the army plans to restore security to Northeastern Lattakia and Jisr al-Shughour in Southwestern Idlib in the upcoming offensive.

It went on reporting that the Russian and Syrian forces have paid several visits to the battlefields and have specified their joint military objectives in Northeastern Lattakia and in Jourin in Northwestern Hama.

It further said that the army's artillery and missile units have been pounding terrorists' bases, command posts, arms depots and movements in the towns of Badama and al-Najiyeh in Western Idlib and Khan Sheikhoun region in Southern Idlib for their immediate ground invasion.

Sputnik added that the army is likely to launch the operation from Western Idlib to Jisr al-Shughour and Ariha after heavy artillery fire at terrorists' centers in Northern Hama, Southern Idlib and Northern Lattakia.

In the meantime, the terrorist groups in Idlib and Hama provinces started a new coalition, called Jeish al-Fatah, to counter the Syrian Army's imminent operation after they came under increasing pressure by Ankara, a militant-affiliated website reported on Monday.

Anab al-Baladi website quoted a well-informed source as disclosing that the terrorist groups' decision to form a new coalition in Idlib was made under Ankara's pressure, adding that Turkey had forced the entire terrorist groups, including Syria's Liberation Front, the National Liberation Front, Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at and Jeish al-Izzah, in Northern Hama to stand united against the Damascus government before they are annihilated in the upcoming operation of the Syrian army.

In the meantime, Commander of Syria's Liberation Front Abdul Salam Abdul Razaq claimed that the coalition members have an endorsed an agreement to specify their battlefield responsibilities across the region which stretches from the coastal areas to Northern Aleppo.

Al-Baladi further said that representatives of Idlib's terrorist groups will gather in Ankara in coming days to confer on their duties with regard to Idlib province.

Also, thousands of civilians have started leaving Idlib for safe regions controlled by the government via a humanitarian corridor as army troops are preparing for a major assault on terrorists in the province, a media outlet reported on Monday.

The Arabic-website of RT reported that thousands of residents of the Northwestern province of Idlib have left the region for Aleppo province via a humanitarian corridor in the town of Abu al-Dhohour that is under the Russian forces' monitoring.

The residents' move to leave Idlib came after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced that the army will soon liberate Idlib province.

In the meantime, three notorious terrorist commanders were gunned down by unknown attackers in Idlib and Aleppo provinces on Monday.

Hossein Jamal nom de guerre Abu Zeid, a security commander of the National Liberation Front, along with two other commanders namely Osama al-Jaqmara and his aide were killed after unidentified raiders opened fire at them in the town of Ma'arat al-Nu'aman in Southern Idlib.

Also, Mahmoud Zab'an, a senior field commander of the National Liberation Front was also killed in a bomb blast near the town of Dar al-Izzah in Western Aleppo.

Dara'a

The army soldiers continued their large-scale operation against ISIL in Hawz Yarmouk in Southwestern Dara'a and captured the village of Mouzreh and the town of Abedeen West of the town of al-Shajarah.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units opened heavy fire at ISIL's movements and positions, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The remaining pockets of ISIL have fled towards other regions in Southwestern Dara'a after they suffered heavy defeats in the depth of Hawz Yarmouk.

In the meantime, a field source said that the army has tightened siege on ISIL trapped in the town of al-Shajara after the government forces captured the town of Abedeen.

Meanwhile, Abu Walid Mesri, an Egyptian Emir (commander) of the ISIL terrorist group, was killed in the Syrian Army troops' operation in Hawz Yarmouk region in Southwestern Dara'a on Monday.

The army men, covered by artillery and missile fire, stormed ISIL's strongholds in the small town of al-Shajara in Hawz Yarmouk and captured several key areas near the main base of the terrorists in region, killing a large number of terrorists, including Abu Walid Mesri, the Egyptian commander of them.

The army men further cut off the supply lines to the terrorists' positions in al-Shajara, destroying their positions and bases.

The army soldiers, meantime, destroyed several suicide vehicles of the ISIL that tried to block the army's advance.

Former militants of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are now fighting against ISIL alongside the Syrian Army troops in Dara'a province after years of conflict.

The rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army’s Shabab Al-Sunnah Brigade are currently taking part in the Syrian Army’s ongoing offensive against the ISIL-affiliated Jeish Khaled bin Walid terrorists in Hawz Yarmouk region, massdar reported.

According to a Syrian military report, over 500 former rebels are now fighting alongside the government forces after settling their cases in Dara'a.

These reconciled rebels were given the option to serve alongside the Syrian Army in order to settle their cases and remain in Dara'a and Quneitra provinces.

Meanwhile, the army's engineering units carried out a mop-up operation near the town of al-Shajareh in Hawz Yarmouk, finding a large volume of equipment of the White Helmets Organization at ISIL's positions.

The army soldiers further found Israeli and American aid packages of food stuff at the ISIL's hideouts and positions.

In the meantime, field sources said that the army men drove ISIL out of the village of al-Arezah near the Israeli-occupied Golan.

Deir Ezzur

The Syrian Army troops engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in Eastern Deir Ezzur and fended off their attack on Monday, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The army men exchanged heavy fire with ISIL in Hasarat and al-Majoudeh regions near al-Sha'afa in Eastern Deir Ezzur.

In the meantime, the artillery and missile units pounded ISIL's movements on the Western bank of the Euphrates River and Southeastern Badiyeh (desert) of Deir Ezzur.

ISIL suffered a heavy casualties and its military hardware sustained major damage in the field attack, retreating from the battlefield.

Quneitra

A local source said on Monday that the Syrian Army is nearing the end of its operations in the Southwestern province of Quneitra as its forces are making rapid advances in all directions and more militant-held regions are joining the reconciliation plan.

The army men entered al-Khashniyeh and Quseibeh regions in Quneitra province and hoisted the Damascus flag within the framework of a reconciliation plan in Southern Syria.

In the meantime, militants in the villages and small towns of Beir Ajam, Bariqeh and Jabata al-Khashab are handing over their missile launchers, cannons, military vehicles, tanks and personal arms and ammunition to the army men.

Field sources said that handing over of the weapons to the army soldiers is underway in Beir Ajam and Bariqeh, adding that the process of reconciliation will face delay due to the high quantity of arms and ammunition that must be handed over to the army.

Military experts say the Quneitra province will come under the army's full control soon after militants hand over the weapons and those terrorists that have rejected to join army's peace offer retreat to Idlib.

Aleppo

The Syrian Army's missile and artillery units opened heavy fire at terrorists' positions in three regions in Western Aleppo, inflicting major losses on them on Monday.

The terrorists, deployed in Western Aleppo, launched missile attacks on residential areas in al-Hamdanieh district and the 3,000-unit Housing Project near Aleppo city, killing and wounding eight civilians.

The army's artillery and missile units, in response, targeted terrorists' positions in Bashantara, Hoor and Bashqatin regions in Western Aleppo, destroying several artillery platforms, launchers, cannons and positions of the terrorists.

A number of terrorists were killed in the army shelling.

Also, a number of terrorists were killed and several more were wounded in fresh clashes between two Ankara-backed rival militant groups in the towns of al-Bab and Afrin in Northern and Northwestern Aleppo on Monday.

Terrorists of Sultan Murad and the 51st Brigade, both affiliated to the Turkish troops, engaged in heavy fighting in Akhtarin in Azzaz region in Aleppo province. Reports said the clashes left a number of casualties on both warring sides.

The infighting came after Commander of the 51st Brigade Mohammad al-Dayeri was abducted in al-Bab, making the Brigade commanders to put forces on alert and declare curfew in the some areas.

In the meantime, Eastern Ghouta's Faylaq al-Rahman terrorists, who were forced to retreat from Damascus province to Aleppo last month, engaged in heavy infighting with Ankara-backed militants in Afrin that inflicted a number of casualties on both warring sides.

The Afrin infighting came after Ankara-affiliated local military police forces called on Faylaq al-Rahman terrorists to leave houses they had occupied.

Assassination, looting of people's assets and infighting in Turkish Army-held regions in Northern Syria has been on rise in recent weeks.

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