Damascus - Noura Khowam
The Syrian army and its allies advanced deep into the Syrian desert on Monday and began to encircle a ISIS center in the context of a multi-pronged incursion into eastern areas to expel the organization's militants. The army and its allies took control of a number of villages near the town of Koum in the northeast of Homs province.
The Islamic State group detonated, yesterday, four booby-trapped vehicles in locations belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the city of Raqqa, Qasioun News reported on Tuesday. The self-proclaimed Islamic State group detonated four booby-trapped vehicles in the neighborhoods of al-Romaneya, Hisham Ibn Abdelmalek and the outskirts of al-Mashlab, leaving several casualties among the ranks of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Meanwhile, clashes broke out between the two parties on the outskirts of the old neighborhoods in the city, amid mutual artillery and rocket shelling, allowing the Syrian Democratic Forces to recapture several buildings and military headquarters. It is noteworthy that the SDF managed recently to recapture 50% of the city of Raqqa, backed by the international coalition aerial coverage.
Explosions were heard in the northern countryside of Homs and they turned out to be caused by the fall of two shells fired by the regime forces on places in Talbesa city the northern countryside of Homs and a third on an area in Al-Rastn city there. The shelling left three people, including a girl, injured in Talbesa city. This is considered the first targeting operation since the meeting that was held yesterday in the northern countryside of Homs between the factions and local commissions on one hand and representatives of the Russian forces in Hamimim on the other in order to reach a new agreement on calling a new truce in the northern countryside of Homs.
An explosion was heard in the city of Idlib after midnight of Monday – Tuesday, it was caused by an explosive device near Shuaib Mosque in the city, where the explosion accompanied by hearing gunfire in the city, and no information about casualties was reported yet.
The forces of the regime shelled after the midnight of Monday – Tuesday areas in the villages of Rasm Al-Eis and Al-Hajib in the southern countryside of Aleppo, and there were no information about injuries, as clashes took place after midnight of yesterday, between the Syria Democratic Forces on one hand, and the Islamic and rebel factions operating within the Turkish supported forces of “The Euphrates Shield” Operation on the other hand.
The Syrian South truce is still in effect since it was put in effect on the 9th of July 2017, with a Russian-American-Jordanian agreement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented after midnight of Monday – Tuesday the fall of a shell fired by the regime forces on an area in the outskirts of the Western Al-Gharya Town in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
SOHR also documented shelling by the regime forces targeted areas in the village of Jubata al-Khashab in the countryside of Al-Quneitra after midnight of yesterday, without reports about casualties, and SOHR published that the southern Syria truce continues to hold on since it came into force on the 9th of July 2017 by virtue of an agreement brokered by Russia, US and Jordan.
Escalated clashes are taking place in areas in the desert of Ghanim Al-Ali in the countryside of the Western Madan in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah City, between the regime forces and Russian trained-and-armed clan forces loyal to them on one hand, and the “Islamic State” organization on the other hand.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the members of the organization managed to reach the village of Ghanim al-Ali and took control of parts of it after exploding two booby trapped vehicles at least, and the clashes accompanied by aerial and missile shelling targeting the clash areas, resulting in more casualties and injuries in the ranks of the both parties.