Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Destroys Terrorists’ Hideouts in Lattakia, Kills over 50 Terrorists

The Syrian army destroyed the gathering centers of the Takfiri terrorists in the countryside of Lattakia, killing tens of terrorists in air strikes.
At least 50 militants were killed in fierce clashes with the Syrian troops in the Northeastern parts of Lattakia province in the last 24 hours.

The Syrian warplanes launched air strikes on terrorists’ positions in Ein al-Eido village and Salma town, about 48 km to the Northeast of Lattakia city.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Army repelled a powerful assault of the ISIL Takfiri terrorists on its positions at the village of Al-Hawa in the Central province of Homs, and killed two dozen militants, including foreign nationals in its counter-attack.

Military sources said that the terrorist group ran into the Syrian forces’ well-fortified barriers that encompass the village of Al-Hawa, leaving the ISIL combatants stuck in the open while they would try to evade the rapid gunfire and mortar shells that were fired by the soldiers guarding the contested area.

The ISIL militants also attempted to sneak past frontline fortifications of the Syrian army men and National Defense Forces’ (NDF) at the nearby villages of Rahoum and Umm Sahreej; however, they were once again unsuccessful, as the Syrian soldiers repelled all of the terrorist group’s infiltration attempts.

The source further added that the terrorist group suffered two dozen casualties during their large-scale assault on the village of Al-Hawa; this includes a number of foreign nationals from the countries of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Libya, and Iraq.

Military sources said that the Syrian Army defended its positions against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists’ offensive in the nearby areas of Kuweires Airbase in the Eastern countryside of Aleppo, and killed at least 20 militants in its counterassault.

The ISIL assault began when a large contingent of armed combatants stormed the Southern perimeter of the Kuweires Airbase from their positions at Tal al-Ahmar, attempting to break-through the army’s frontline near the small village of Karkeez to the South of the airport.

Elsewhere, following their initial assault on the Southern perimeter, another wave of ISIL combatants carried out an attack on the Kuweires Airbase, but this time from their positions at the village of Rassim Al-‘Abboud, where they attempted to infiltrate into the Syrian army’s frontlines at the Eastern guard post.

According to a military source in the Aleppo Governorate, the ISIL withdrew their assault after sustaining over 20 casualties, marking the second time in the last two days that they failed to bypass the Syrian forces’ defense lines at the Kuweires Airbase.

The Syrian Army launched massive attacks against the rebel positions in al-Ghaab plains in Hama province, and retook control over Jubb al-Zarzur hilltop after killing over 20 militants, military sources said.

The Syrian Army’s Tiger Forces, in coordination with the 87th Brigade of the 11th Tank Division, the National Defense Forces (NDF), the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), and Liwaa Assoud al-Jabal (Lions of the Mountain Brigade), continued their offensive inside the Northern countryside of the al-Ghaab Plains, capturing more territory from the rebels of Jeish al-Fateh, sources said.

The Syrian army entered the battle for the al-Ghaab Plains from their positions at Jubb al-Ahmar in order to launch an assault on Jeish al-Fateh’s two largest factions – Ahrar al-Sham and al-Nusra Front – at the imperative hilltop of Jubb al-Zarzur.

Following their arrival to the contested town of al-Bahsa, the reinforcements from the Syrian army broke-away to the Northwest, where they launched a powerful assault on the rebel positions at Jubb al-Zarzur, killing an estimated 20 enemy combatants before they were able to impose full control over the hilltop.

Meantime, the Syrian Army and Lebanese Hezbollah forces advanced further into al-Zabadani after they secured a collection of villas en route to the Mahata Roundabout near the city-center, local sources said.

The sources said that the Syrian Army’s 63rd Brigade of the prestigious 4th Mechanized Division, the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement, the National Defense Forces (NDF), and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) are on the verge of capturing the imperative resort-city of al-Zabadani after almost 45 days of fierce firefights with Ahrar Al-Sham, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and Al-Nusra Front.

On Saturday morning, the battle for Al-Zabadani appeared all but over, as the news spread amongst Hezbollah and Syrian army social media activists detailed the complete capture of this resort-city located near the Syrian-Lebanese border crossing.

However, the news of al-Zabadani’s capture by the joint forces of Hezbollah and the Syrian army was prematurely reported, as the latter units were engaged in a violent firefight with Ahrar Al-Sham and al-Nusra Front’s combatants near the Uthman Neighborhood inside the city’s Western sector.

Meantime, the Syrian Air Force pounded away at Ahrar al-Sham and al-Nusra front fighters entrenched inside Al-Zabadani’s city-center.