After the implementation of the largest siege, the regime forces begin new offensive within the besieged area and advance in heights near al-Sukhnah
Homs province – the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that a demonstration went out in the town of Talbisah in the northern countryside of Homs, in which the demonstrators called for freedom and dignity. The demonstrators also chanted for al-Hula and al-Rastan and called for the ousting of the regime.
In a related context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that violent clashes are taking place between the regime forces and their allied militiamen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against members of the “Islamic State” organization within the besieged circle west of al-Sukhnah city. The SOHR learned that the clashes are accompanied by heavy shelling by the regime forces on the areas and positions controlled by the organization, in conjunction with targeting of warplanes on the area, in an attempt by the regime forces to advance in the area and end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in it, amid the advancement of the regime forces and their control over a mountain west of al-Sukhnah area within the besieged circle, and there is information about causalities caused by the shelling, clashes and targeting exchanged between both parties.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 23rd of August that it learned that regime forces managed to achieve strategic advancement, and take control of Dahiq mountain “Dahik mountain”, these forces who advance from Al-Taybah area to the south also managed to meet regime forces in the north of Al-Sukhnah, to impose the largest siege on ISIS, which besiege thousands of the remaining kilometers controlled by ISIS in the west of Al-Sukhnah and this line of encirclement with the first besieged circle which includes the eastern countryside of Hama with the part which is connected with it of the eastern countryside of Homs, in the mountains of Shomariyyeh and Jib Al-Jarah countryside and the west of Jabal Sha’ir.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 21st of August 2017 that the regime forces managed to achieve strategic advancement and took the control of Al-Taybah town and nearby hills and heights, the Syrian Observatory learned that this advancement enabled regime forces to achieve advancement towards Al-Sukhnah, and to reduce the size of the remaining distance between the advanced regime forces to the south of Al-Taybah and regime forces which are exist in the north of Al-Sukhnah city.
This advancement maintained a distance of about 10 km between the groups of regime in the south of Al-Taybah and in the north of Al-Sukhnah, and if regime forces managed during the next few hours or days to advance in this remaining area, they will manage to impose the largest siege against ISIS, since the start of clashes by regime forces against the organization at the beginning of 2017, where regime forces and gunmen loyal to them will besiege thousands of the remaining kilometers controlled by the organization in the eastern desert of Homs, with the section which is besieged days ago in the eastern countryside of Hama and the part which is attached with it of the eastern countryside of Homs, in Jib Al-Jarah, Shomariyyeh mountains and the west of Jabal Sha’ir.