Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Syrian Air Defense on Alert to Counter US Possible Raid

Rasa - A media source reported on Tuesday that the Syrian Army's Air Defense Units are fully ready to counter any possible US attack on military bases as terrorists are preparing to stage a false-flag chemical attack in Idlib to provide an excuse for a US airstrike.

News ID: 439288

Date: 29 August 2018 - 21:21

RNA - The Arabic-language website of the AMN reported that the Syrian Air Defense Systems were put on alert to counter a possible attack by the US forces.

It further said that Mezeh airport was also on alert.

The news website went on to say that the Syrian army relocated a number of its planes and helicopters from Hama to other bases, including Mezeh, al-Sha'ayrat, Kuweires and Lattakia, to evade any possible targeting in the possible US raid.

The Russian Defense Ministry accused the US, UK and France of paving the ground to launch air attacks on Syrian under the pretext of chemical attack by the Damascus forces on non-military targets.

Idlib

The Turkish Army on Tuesday sent another convoy of military vehicles to Northern Syria as the Syrian Army is about to kick off a major assault against terrorists in Idlib.

The Turkish army convoy, including 12 trucks, entered Idlib province vial Bab al-Hawa border-crossing.

The trucks were carrying prefabricated cement walls, containers and Conexes to the points of deployment of the Turkish army in Morek in Northern Hama.

The Syrian Army has been been dispatching troops and equipment to contact lines with terrorists in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama and Lattakia in preparation for a major assault on terrorists in Idlib.

Also a state-run media outlet said on Tuesday that the Syrian Army blocked Abu al-Dhohour humanitarian corridor in Southeastern Idlib after over 9,000 people left the terrorist-held regions in recent weeks, implying that the government forces' major operation in Northwestern Syria is imminent.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily quoted field sources as reporting that the army closed off Abu al-Dhohour humanitarian corridor in Southeastern Idlib which was set up by the army for exit of civilians from terrorist-held regions.

It further said that the army has closed all passageways in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib, adding that over 9,000 civilians have left the terrorist-held region for army-controlled regions via Abu al-Dhohour corridor in the last week.

The daily added that the army has dispatched more forces and equipment to the battlefields in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib for utilizing them in a large-scale operation in the Northwestern part of the country.

A Lebanese media outlet reported on Tuesday that over 250 members of the White Helmets Organization are preparing to participate in an imminent false-flag chemical attack in Idlib province after reports of cooperation between the organization and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front).

The Arabic-language al-Mayadeen TV Channel quoted well-informed sources as disclosing that more than 250 members of the pro-militants White Helmets have been preparing to take part in a fake rescue operation after a false-flag chemical attack by terrorists in Idlib province.

It went on to say that the White Helmets have transferred poisonous materials from Turkey to Syria via al-Hassani'yeh passageway, storing a portion of the materials in the village of Halouz near Jisr al-Shughour in Western Idlib.

Al-Mayadeen further said that vast presence of the White Helmets aid workers has been detected in Jisr al-Shughour prison, where poisonous materials have been stored.

The TV further quoted the sources as disclosing that the terrorists are to stage a false-flag chemical attack in Idlib a week after the army's upcoming operation in the region.

In the meantime, the AMN reported yesterday that the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) announced general mobilization of all their fighters in Northern Syria.

The foreign jihadist group made this announcement in response to large-scale military buildup by the Syrian Army and their allies in the Lattakia, Idlib, Aleppo and Hama provinces.

According to a Syrian military source in Lattakia, the foreign jihadist group has already begun sending large convoys of reinforcements to al-Ghaab and coastal fronts.

The Turkestan Islamic Party reinforcements reportedly included hundreds of fighters and tens of technical vehicles and tanks.

The aforementioned jihadist group is one of the largest foreign militant entities inside Syria; they are mostly based in Northwest Hama, Northern Lattakia and Southwest Idlib.

Sweida

The Syrian Army men continued storming ISIL in the Eastern deserts of Sweida, and imposed their rule over another key region on Tuesday.

The army soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with the remaining pockets of ISIL terrorists in the Eastern deserts of Sweida that is actually inside Damascus province, and seized control of Hatil Dam South of Toloul al-Zaras.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units pounded ISIL's movements and positions in the desert, inflicting major loses on the terrorists.

Also, a vehicle of the terrorists, carrying arms and ammunition, in Toloul al-Safa was damaged in the army's artillery fire.

Other army units repelled ISIL's offensive aimed at breaking the government forces' siege Northeast of Toloul al-Safa region, and destroyed the motorized units of ISIL in Abu Khashaba.

Hasaka

Local sources reported on Tuesday that the US Army has dispatched another long military convoy to the regions held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasaka province.

The sources said that the US has sent a convoy of a hundred trucks to Syria from Iraq via the Simalka border-crossing on Monday.

They further said that the convoy included several tankers, military vehicles and bulldozers, and has already arrived in SDF-held regions in Hasaka.

Quneitra

Militants handed over a large volume of arms and ammunition to the Syrian Army in the Southwestern part of the country, a Russian media outlet reported on Tuesday.

The Arabic-language website of RT quoted Head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria Alexi Tsigankov as reporting that former members of several terrorist groups in Southwestern Syria have handed over 231 individual guns, 11 tons of artillery munitions and a large volume of heavy and semi-heavy weapons to the Syrian Army.

In the meantime, the army continued carrying out cleansing operation in the villages of al-Bariqa and Ba'ar Ajam in Quneitra province, discovering a large volume of arms and ammunition, including RPG rockets, missiles, guns, cannons and ammunitions, in regions that once were under terrorists' control.

Deir Ezzur

The predominately Kurdish US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) handed over al-Salehiyeh passageway in Southeastern Deir Ezzur to the Syrian army, Syria's state-run media reported on Tuesday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily reported that the SDF embarked on handing over al-Salehiyeh passageway near the Euphrates River in Southeastern Deir Ezzur to the Syrian Army.

The passageway is located between the SDF-held '7km Square' and the small town of al-Salehiyeh that is under the army's control, al-Watan said, adding that the Syrian army and Russian Military Police will run the passageway.

The passageway will be open to ease return of civilians to their regions on the Western bank of Euphrates River that is under the army's control.

Hama

The Syrian Army's artillery and missile units opened heavy fire at the positions and movements of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) in Northern Hama on Tuesday.

The artillery and missile units shelled the strongholds and movements of Tahrir al-Sham and al-Turkistani Islamic Party and other terrorist groups near the towns of al-Latamina and Kafr Zita.

The army's artillery attacks on militants' positions split over the villages of al-Jisat, Tal al-Sakhar, al-Zakat, Lahaya, Albueizeh and Ma'arkabah in Northern Hama.

According to Fars News Agancy, terrorists suffered heavy casualties and their military hardware sustained major damage in the attacks.

In the meantime, a drone of the terrorists was shot down by the army in the town of Kafr Naz in Northern Hama.

Raqqa

A sum of seven bodies of the civilians killed in the US warplanes' attacks on Raqqa city were discovered on Tuesday.

Bodies of five civilians killed in the US air raids were taken out of debris in a market in Raqqa city.

In the meantime, bodies of two civilians that were also killed in the US-led coalition air attacks were unearthed in al-Badu neighborhood in Raqqa city.

Earlier this month, local sources said that a mass grave with several bodies of the civilians killed in the US air attacks was found behind a garage in al-Badu neighborhood.

They further said that a sum of 20 bodies of civilians was taken out of debris in different areas in al-Badu.

In the meantime, another mass grave was found in Panorama district South of Raqqa city.

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