Syrian Army resumes offensive to seal Iraqi border

Earlier this week, the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) troops launched a counter-offensive to recapture the territory they lost in southeast Damascus; this operation resulted in the rebel forces recapturing the Zaza Checkpoint and Sabihiyah Mountains near the Palmyra-Baghdad Highway.

Following this Free Syrian Army counter-assault, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) decided to resume their offensive in the southeastern countryside of Damascus, today, striking the US-backed rebel forces east of the Biyar Al-Saba area.

According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Legion, alongside the National Defense Forces (NDF), recaptured the Zaza Checkpoint and Sabihiyah Mountains after breaking-through the rebel defenses north of the Palmyra-Baghdad Highway.

With these sites recaptured, the Syrian Arab Army has once again imposed fire control over a small portion of the Palmyra-Baghdad Highway that flows through southeast Damascus.