Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Repels Terrorists’ Attack in Lattakia Province

The Syrian army troops repelled the terrorist groups’ attacks on their positions in Lattakia province, inflicting heavy losses on the militants.
Meantime, the Syrian army and popular forces continued their military advances in other parts of Syria, including Damascus and Aleppo, over past 24 hours.
Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army’s operations in Syria’s key provinces.
Lattakia

The Syrian army forces fended off several attacks by militants against a number of villages in the Northern parts of Lattakia province, inflicting losses on the terrorists and their commanders.
The terrorist groups which had launched heavy offensives against the villages near al-Akrad and al-Turkaman mountains were surprised as they faced the army forces’ preparedness to repel the attacks, a source said on Thursday.
According to the source, several militants were killed in the counterattack, among them their senior leaders, including the commander of a brigade affiliated to Ansar al-Sham, Ahmad al-Hawish of Jeish al-Fatah, Abu Omar al-Mohajer, Talal al-Mardini, nicknamed Ataturk, and Tunisian Abu Zubair of al-Nusra Front.
In addition to the death toll, a large number of terrorists were also injured, including the commander of Liwa al-Adiat.
Deir Ezzur

The ISIL terrorists entangled in the Syrian air force fire in the Eastern parts of Deir Ezzur were forced to leave their vehicles and escape after sustaining casualties.
The Syrian fighter jets destroyed 13 vehicles of the ISIL Takfiri terrorists in al-Huweiqa, al-Hamidiyeh and in the vicinity of al-Tharda Mountain in the Eastern parts of Deir Ezzur province while the militants were fleeing their positions in the region.
Meantime, a field source said that tens of ISIL terrorists who were still in the area were killed or injured in the Syrian warplanes’ airstrikes.
Aleppo

Several informed sources confirmed that the Jeish al-Fatah umbrella coalition of terrorist groups has lost over one hundred militants in the battle against the Syrian Army troops and popular forces in al-Malaah Farms Northwest of Aleppo Province during the last five days.
“Most of Jeish al-Fatah casualties occurred when the Syrian Air Force and artillery units surprised the terrorists in flash operations as they were preparing to stage a major attack on the pro-government forces in the region,” a military source said.
The source added that the terrorists planned to break the Syrian Army’s defense lines in al-Malaah Farms and recapture the just-liberated areas using car bombs, in a similar move to their modus operandi seen in Khan Touman, but the car bombs were targeted and exploded well before they were deployed to the front lines.
The Syrian Army troops and popular forces have managed to push the terrorist groups back from nearly 90 percent of al-Malaah Farms while clashes between the government forces and terrorists in the area reached a pinnacle on Thursday.
The operations of the Syrian army in Western Aleppo have culminated five days after their start and intense fighting was reported between the Syrian army and terrorist groups Northwest of Aleppo city.
The Syrian troops which seized 90 percent of al-Malaah Farms on Wednesday, withdrew a little from their positions, waiting for fresh forces, equipment and weapons.
Also on Thursday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) gained more grounds in battle to liberate the strategic town of Manbij in Northern Syria as they managed to recapture a key district in the strategic battlefield against the ISIL terrorist group.
“Al-Asadiyah district, liberated after a fierce onslaught by the SDF, lies within the distance of less than one kilometer to the Manbij’s city center,” a Kurdish source said, adding that “up to 25 ISIL members were killed by the Kurdish forces during the operation.”
There are several reports suggesting that ISIL terrorists are using local residents as human shield to make SDF advances slower, as the terrorists group is attempting to buy time and space to retreat from the strategic town in the Northern Syria’s Aleppo Province.
Earlier reports on Thursday said the Kurdish forces were gaining more grounds in their battle against ISIL in the Southern districts of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo and entered the town’s strategic areas.
After entering the town, the Kurdish forces gained control of al-Morour square in the Southern parts of al-Hazawaeneh region, field sources reported.
Dara’a

All members of a terrorist group were killed in clashes with the Syrian army as they were smuggling a large arms cargo to the Southern parts of Dara’a city.
The army unit eliminated a terrorist group that was moving weapons and ammunition to the Southeast of Zenobia school on the outskirts of Dara’a al-Mahatta area in Dara’a city, a military source said on Thursday.
“Elsewhere in the city, the army units operating in Dara’a al-Balad targeted fortified sites and machine gun positions of al-Nusra Front terrorists and other Takfiri groups affiliated to it near the Power Company and Khazan al-Kark,” the source added.
According to the source, the terrorists’ strongholds were fully destroyed during the operations and dozens of militants were killed or injured.
Damascus

The Syrian army and popular forces regained control of al-Baharia farms in Eastern Ghouta and broke the terrorists’ defense lines on Maydaa al-Nashabia road.
The Syrian pro-government troops’ advance in Eastern Ghouta is a prelude to win back al-Nashabia town which is 4km away from al-Baharia town and is considered as the main headquarters of al-Nusra Front terrorists.
Also reports from the Western Ghouta said that the army is continuing advance in the militant-held city of Darayya near Damascus after its repeated and successful attacks.
Meantime, commander of Ajnad al-Sham terrorist group, Izzidin Abu al-Nour, was killed in Russian fighter jets’ airstrikes in the rebel-held town of Khan al-Shih, in Western Ghouta.
Abu al-Nour played a leading frontline role in the capture of Dirkhabiyah, a village that neighbors Khan al-Shih, during a joint offensive with al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham last month.
Rebel areas in West Ghouta, a region located in the Southwestern parts of Damascus city, have been besieged by the Syrian Army although government forces currently seem more focused on gaining ground in the Eastern Ghouta.