Within their operation to isolate Al-Raqqah city from Division 17… “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces advance and control a part of the 3rd neighborhood in the eastern part of the city

Al-Raqqa Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights :: The regime forces continue its attack supported by militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalists and supported by warplanes and intense bombing in an attempt to advance and go deep into al-Raqqa Province, where violent clashes are taking place between the regime forces and the “Islamic State” organization on the road of al-Resafa – al-Salamiyah, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the regime forces backed by militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities managed to achieve an important advancement and reached the outskirts of al-Resafa town in the southern countryside of al-Raqqa, which the forces controlled by fire, allowing them to expand their controlled areas in al-Raqqa province, where the regime forces controlled since the 6th of June 2017 and until the 18th of June 2017 about 1700 square km of the area of al-Raqqa province and the regime forces managed to become in contact with Syria Democratic Forces in the southwestern countryside of al-Raqqa.

The regime forces and militiamen loyal to them are seeking, through this advance, to carry out the largest encirclement of the “Islamic State” organization, where the regime forces will siege the entire areas extending from Sabkhat al-Jabboul in the southeastern countryside of Aleppo to the road of al-Sokhna – Palmyra through the eastern countryside of Hama, and the northern and northwest deserts of Palmyra, and the regime forces will push the organization to choose from two choices, whether to withdraw before being besieged or fight till the end, and if the regime forces controlled the area, they would control more than 6000 square km, which includes more than 70 villages and towns in the countryside of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, and if the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities achieved this advancement, they would be close to the administrative borders of Deir Ezzor, and in this case, the “Islamic State” organization would only control a small area of northern desert of Homs, southern and southeast countryside of al-Raqqa, most of Deir Ezzor province and parts of the southern countryside of al-Hasaka.