After stopping for 24 hours | Russian warplanes shell desert with above 25 raids, while regime forces reinforce their positions in Hama countryside
SOHR activists have reported that the Russian warplanes have renewed shelling on the Syrian desert after a halt for nearly 24 hours.
Six warplanes alternately shelled positions this evening, in Hama’s eastern desert, Jabal al-Bashary and al-Rasafa in al-Raqqa and Deir Ezzor deserts.
The number of raids by Russian warplanes today has raised to over 25 airstrikes, where they threw light grenades near Shuwaihan and Ga’aidin northern of al-Rasafa near the frontlines with SDF southern of al-Mansoura town.
On the other hand, Regime forces brought reinforcements to al-Rahgan region in the eastern Hama countryside, to comb the area after the high activity and resurgence of ISIS in the area.
Yesterday, SOHR sources reported that Russian fighter jets continued their operations on positions where ISIS fighters holed up in the Syrian desert, as the number of Russian airstrikes which targeted ISIS positions in al-Rasafah desert in the south of al-Raqqah and positions in Jabal al-Bishri in the Syrian desert in the past 48 hours has approximated 55.
These airstrikes coincided with the death of 14 ISIS members in the fierce clashes with regime forces and the Russian airstrikes on the positions which ISIS had advanced into in al-Rasafah desert on Friday, before regime forces and their proxy militias regained them.
After less than 24 hours of battles and foiling of ISIS successive attacks, regime forces and their loyalists managed to regain control of the series of posts, which they had withdrew from, nearby al-Rasafah city.
On Friday, SOHR sources reported that ISIS members continued violent attack on regime forces and their proxies’ posts in al-Rasafah area in south-west al-Raqqah desert, where violent clashes erupted between the two sides. Meanwhile, regime forces, with Russian air support, attempted to expel ISIS attacks.
SOHR documented death of eight regime soldiers and loyalists in the violent attacks which lasted from Thursday night to Friday morning.
Since 24th of March 2019, SOHR has documented the killing of at least 1,578 regime soldiers and loyalists of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, including at least three Russians, and 153 Iranian-backed militiamen of non-Syrian nationalities. All were killed in attacks, bombings and ambushes by the “Islamic State”, west of Euphrates in the deserts of Deir Ezzor, al-Raqqah, Homs, al-Suwaidaa, Hama and Aleppo.
Also, four civilians working in gas fields, tens of shepherds and other civilians were killed and documented by SOHR in the same period, from late March 2019 until today. They were killed in attacks by ISIS cells. While 1,081 ISIS members were also killed in attacks and bombardment in the same period.
A day earlier, SOHR activists reported exchange of bombardment and clashes with heavy weapons between regime forces and their proxy militias on one hand, and ISIS members on the other, in the surrounding areas of al-Rasafah in, nearly 35 kilometres to the south-west of al-Raqqah city. However, no casualties were reported so far.
On the other hand, Russian fighter jets executed 20 airstrikes on different areas in the Syrian desert.
Accordingly, the number of Russian airstrikes on the Syrian desert since early October rose to 380, and they targeted positions in the surrounding areas of Ihteriya, al-Rasafah, other areas in Aleppo-Hama-al-Raqqah triangle, al-Sukhnah, Palmyra desert and other areas in east Homs desert, and other area in Deir Ezzor desert.