31 members of the regime forces and the “Islamic State” organization were killed in battles in the countryside of Homs and Hama within 24 hours

Clashes are still ongoing in several areas in the countryside of Homs and Hama between the regime forces supported by their allied militiamen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against members of the “Islamic State” organization in areas in the eastern countryside of Homs and Hama. The clashes are concentrated in areas in the eastern and northeastern countryside of Salamiyah city in the eastern countryside of Hama, and other areas in Palmyra desert in the north and the south of al-Sukhnah city. Reliable sources asserted to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that it has risen to at least 18, including a brigadier general, the number of members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, who were killed in shelling and clashes with the organization in the eastern countryside of Hama and Homs, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented at least 13 fighters of the “Islamic State” organization who were killed in these clashes and by the aerial bombardment and artillery shelling accompanying them.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that warplanes renewed their heavy airstrikes targeting areas controlled by the “Islamic State” organization in the eastern countryside of Hama, where the warplanes shelled areas in the villages of Suha, Massoud, Salba, Qulayb al-Thawr, Abu Hanaya and other areas in Eqayrbat district, amid aerial bombardment that target the desert of al-Sukhnah, in conjunction with intensive shelling of the regime forces on the clash areas and the positions of the organization and its areas of control.

And the regime forces were able yesterday to achieve an important advancement and control oil fields in the eastern half of the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that this important advancement allowed the regime forces to reach the outskirts of the strategic mountain of al-Bashri, which is a rugged-terrain mountain and one of the most important strongholds of the “Islamic State” organization in Syria, where this mountain witnessed the visit of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi -the leader of the “Islamic State” organization- to meet with military and security commanders of the organization earlier, the mountain is extending within the administrative borders of 3 provinces and is one of the important centers of which the organization has been depending on in the supply operations and securing commanders.

This advancement comes hours after the important advancement achieved by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian, Iranian Iraqi and Lebanese nationalities; in the southern and southwestern countryside of Al-Raqqah, during which the regime forces were able to end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in the western half of the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah and in the western countryside of Al-Raqqah, also the regime forces have recovered hundreds of kilometers from the “Islamic State” organization in the past 72 hours, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published that the regime forces, with intensive shelling on the organization’s positions, managed to achieve an important advancement and control oilfields in the southern countryside of al-Raqqa near the administrative border of al-Raqqa with Homs, while the members of the organization withdrew from other oilfields west of the advancement area, and the regime forces started to cleanse the area of which the organization has withdrawn. With this advancement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the end of the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in the western and southwestern countryside of al-Raqqa city, and the “Islamic state” organization only controls an area extending from the south of al-Kasrat area, to the SDF-held line adjacent to the Euphrates River to the east of al-Resafa and to the administrative borders of Homs and the administrative borders with Deir Ezzor, in addition to parts of al-Raqqa city.

 The SOHR published on the 14th of July 2017 that the regime forces, coming through Al-Raqqah, entered the administrative borders of Homs for the first time and that they were seeking to regain control over the largest area possible of ISIS-controlled areas. The regime forces backed by their allied militiamen, of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, resumed their military operation in the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah after controlling Al-Resafa city, on the 19th of June 2017, where violent clashes were taking place since the 13th of June 2017 between the regime forces and their allied militiamen, secured by a cover of heavy shelling, against members of the “Islamic State”. The regime forces managed by means of these clashes to advance and take control of 3 oilfields. They were also able to advance again the next day, the 14th of June, and take control of Al-Kabir oilfield and areas located at the south and southeast of it. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several reliable sources that the regime forces managed to enter the administrative borders of Homs Province through Al-Raqqah countryside for the first time, as part of a wide-scale military operation that they aimed to continue until they reach al-Hail oilfield area, of which the regime forces took control days ago. In case the regime forces managed to advance directly from the north to the south for a distance of 70 kilometers starting from the administrative borders of Homs with Al-Raqqah, which the regime forces entered that day reaching Al-Hail oilfield area, they would have fully besieged an ISIS-held area of more than 11 thousand km2 in the provinces of Homs, Hama, and Al-Raqqah. And ISIS would be left with two options, either to surrender or fight till the end if it didn’t withdraw like what happened in the province of Aleppo by the end of June 2017.