The regime forces continue advancing with a cover of intense bombing and control a new village in the eastern countryside of Hama
Hama Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: areas in the village of Kafr Zita in the northern countryside of Hama were shelled by the regime forces, where the shells targeted areas at the outskirts of the town, in conjunction with shelling targeted al-Lataminah town in the same countryside, no information about casualties, while the clashes continue between the regime forces supported by the gunmen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against members of the “Islamic State” organization in areas in the northeastern countryside Salamiyah city, in the eastern countryside of Hama, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the regime forces were able to achieve a new advancement and controlled Jeb Abyad village near Jana al-Albawi village which was controlled by the regime forces about 2 days ago, also the clashes continue in the vicinity of Jrood village with intense shelling by the regime forces and bombing by the warplanes, in an attempt to advance and achieve a greater control and reduce the size of areas controlled by the “Islamic State” organization in the eastern countryside of Hama, in preparation to end its presence in the province.
the Syrian Observatory was published at the 18th August that the regime forces managed to achieve a new strategic advancement and managed to meet their forces coming from Sha’er Mountain, and hence the regime forces were able to impose the first siege on the “Islamic State” organization in the Syrian Desert, and encircled about an area of 3 thousand kilometer square controlled by the organization that includes about 50 village and several oil and gas fields and wells, this area is extending from the fronts of Jub al-Jarrah and al-Shomariyyeh Mountain, which is about 50 km square away from Homs city to the fronts of the countryside of the western and northwest countryside of Salamiyah and Sha’er Mountain front. This encirclement comes within the greatest encirclement the regime forces are trying to implement which would besiege the organization in area of thousands of kilometers in size controlled by the organization in the Syrian Desert in the provinces of Homs and Hama.