The Syrian army and air force, backed by the popular units, destroyed terrorists’ defense lines in the northern Latakia province leaving many militants killed and wounded, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

“Several militant positions and their military grid were severely damaged during Syrian jets combat sorties over the village of Ma’ar Baya in Latakia province,” the sources on the ground confirmed.

Government forces also attacked terrorists’ positions in other key provinces across the country.

In Aleppo province the Syrian army took back several key areas in fierce battles fought along the strategic Khanaser highway.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army and its popular allies launched a new phase of a large-scale operation to drive back the terrorist groups from the main government forces’ main supply line from Hama to Aleppo, Fars News reported.

“The Syrian army troops and the National Defense Forces, who captured a number of checkpoints along the Ithriya-Khanaser road, have launched a massive joint operation in both provinces of Hama and Aleppo to end ISIL [Daesh] and Jund al-Aqsa’s control over chunks of the strategic road,” the army said.


Comment: The Khanaser highway was recently taken by ISIS, thus cutting off supply lines to Aleppo and Hama. The Syrian government hopes to have it completely retaken within the week.

“The Syrian Air Force and artillery units have provided very good coverage for the ground forces,” the army added.

Dozens of Daesh fighters were killed west of the Tishreen Dam in northern Aleppo province in a bungled attack on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in the region.

The Kurdish fighters, backed by US coalition airstrikes, repelled the terrorists’ attack and forced them back from the battlefield.

The Tishreen Dam is located on the Euphrates River on the border of Raqqa and Aleppo provinces.

In Homs province Syrian jets pounded the militant’s command centers in two key cities in the north killing dozens of militants and destroying their military hardware, including a number of vehicles equipped with heavy machineguns, the agency wrote citing military sources on the ground.

The government troops pounded the terrorists’ positions near the capital city of Damascus, inflicting more casualties on the enemy, military sources said on Tuesday.

In the northern Hama province Syrian army units ambushed a large group of terrorists killing and wounding dozens, security sources said.

“The terrorists were ambushed by the army troops in Hirbnafsa village in the Southern parts of Hama,” the sources said, and added, “At least eleven militants were killed and two of their heavy machine-gun equipped pick-up trucks were destroyed in the operation.”

Also on Tuesday government forces and their popular allies attacked Daesh positions in the southeastern countryside of Deir ex-Zor, inflicting more casualties on the terrorists.

The army also stormed a Daesh command center in the village of Hatlah, destroying the base and the killing or wounding a number of terrorists, Fars News wrote.