The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

In their quest to turnaround the strategic mountain of al-Bashri… the regime forces go deep in the western Deir Ezzor desert and reduce the distance between them and the besieged city of Deir Ezzor to about 40 km

Tens of Russian raids target what is left of the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah adjacent to Deir Ezzor province, and a massive displacement movement takes place in the area

Russian warplanes and regime’s warplanes continue carrying out raids on the remaining section under the control of the “Islamic State” organization in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah, at the southern banks of the Euphrates River, where Madan city and nearby villages were targeted by tens of raids that left destruction in the property of citizens, and claimed the lives of 6 casualties including 3 of one family including woman, in addition to injuring others of varying severity within the past 24 hours, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several local sources that a massive displacement is taking place towards areas controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces in the northern banks of the Euphrates River; and towards the western countryside of Al-Raqqah, amid complaints by the citizens about the practices of the regime forces towards them as they passed through regime’s controlled areas towards the western countryside of Al-Raqqah and areas controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces .

These intense airstrikes and regime forces’ attempt to end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in what is left in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah, come in conjunction with the going deep inside the western desert of Deir Ezzor city by; the regime forces supported by loyalist gunmen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and Russian trained-and-armed clan forces, with a covered of intense shelling, reducing to about 40 km, the distance between them and between Deir Ezzor city which is besieged by the “Islamic State” organization, where the regime forces are trying to turnaround al-Bashri Mountainous south of their Advancement line, and turnaround the strategic Mountain of al-Bashri, which will allow the regime forces –if they control it and positioned above it– to firearm-control and monitor many villages and areas extensive of the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, as well as the line extending from it to al-Sukhnah area and the eastern countryside of Homs, also this advancement comes about 72 hours after the regime forces were able for the first time to enter Deir Ezzor province, after passing the administrative borders of Al-Raqqah with the western countryside of Deir Ezzor.

The regime forces  managed on the 17th of July 2017  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.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 23rd of June 2017 that it has learned that al-Nujabaa Movement and militiamen loyal to the regime after they managed to control the areas of al-Wa’er dam, al-Wa’er valley and Ard al-Washwash and several other positions within the areas controlled by the “Islamic State” organization, they have managed to enter the administrative border of Deir Ezzor province from its southeastern countryside near the Iraqi border. This strategic progress allows the regime forces to expand their controlled areas on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The SOHR published yesterday 29th of July that the SOHR has documented since the 17th of July 2017, the date in which the regime forces ended the presence of ISIS in the western part of the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah, until today, the 29th, the death of tens of members of both parties to the fighting taking place in the Syrian dessert. On one hand, the number of fatalities among the regime forces and their allied militiamen, of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, rose to at least 139, including at least 23 officers, as a result of the bombings, shelling and clashes with ISIS. On the other hand, the number of ISIS members and field commanders who were killed in aerial raids, intensive artillery and rocket shelling and in clashes with the regime forces and their allied militiamen rose to 174 at least.