Fierce and continuous clashes in al-Marj area and renewed southeast of Rif Dimashq
Rif Dimashq province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the regime forces shelled areas in Otaya town in Al-Marj area in the Eastern Ghouta which caused injuries, accompanied by the continuation of violent clashes between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them against the Islamic factions in Hosh Al-Dawahra area in the Eastern Ghouta, which damaged a vehicle belongs to the regime forces, accompanied by the fall of several missiles believed to be ground-to-ground on the area.
In the same context, violent clashes are taking place since the dawn of the 16th of July 2017 between Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiyyah and Ahmad al-Abdu Forces against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities in several areas in the Syrian Desert, amid advancement for the forces of Ahmad al-Abdu and Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiyyah in the areas of Ghrab, Jabal Ghrab and Kherbet al-Ghareeb, in an attempt by the factions to advance towards Tal Makhrutah and regime forces’ controlled areas, where the Regime forces aim to achieve a new advancement and surround hundreds of kilometers controlled by factions in the deserts of Damascus and Al-Suwaidaa, and if the regime forces were able to force the factions to withdraw just before they control the area between the advancement line, the siege and the desert stretching between the southeast Rif of Damascus and the northeastern countryside of Al-Suwaidaa, then they will be able to regain control of about 2800 km, the regime forces will also regain control of Al-Suwaidaa province completely, and thus become the second province under the control of the regime forces after Tartous province.