Tiger groups and pro-regime fighters expand their control east of the advancement line of al-Resafa – Sukhnah and control new oil fields
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the violent clashes are still taking place in the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah within the administrative borders of Homs province, between the “Islamic State” organization against the regime forces supported by gunmen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and with a cover of intense shelling. Reliable sources informed the Syrian Observatory that the regime forces with cover of intense shelling were able to achieve a new advancement in the area and they took control of Zamlah Sharqiyyah village, and Zamlah Pumping Station and al-Khala’a gas field in the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah, extending their control to the east in the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah, and the continue clashes caused casualties and injuries in the ranks of the organization, and information about more human losses in the ranks of both parties.
The Syrian Observatory published on the 14th of July that the regime forces coming from the countryside of al-Raqqa managed to enter for the first time the administrative borders of Homs province within a large wide scale operation in which the regime forces aim to advance and reach al-Hail oilfield area which the regime forces have controlled days ago, and if the regime forces managed to advance from the north to the south in an arrow-shape way for a distance of 70 kilometers starting from the administrative border of Homs and al-Raqqa, which the regime forces have entered today, and reached al-Hail oilfield area, the regime forces would have fully besieged organization-held area of more than 11 thousand kilometers square in the provinces of Homs, Hama, and al-Raqqa, and the organization would have two options either to surrender or get into the siege and fight till the end if it didn’t withdraw like what happened in the province of Aleppo by the end of June 2017.
The quest from al-Resafa to the northeastern countryside of Homs, which aims at controlling al-Kom strategic area, the organization’s stronghold and al-Sukhnah city which is the last stronghold of the organization in Homs province, comes in conjunction with consequent attacks by the regime forces, Palestinian al-Quds Brigade, Palestinian Al-Jaleel Forces, and other militiamen loyal to the regime forces on areas and positions of the “Islamic State” organization in the eastern countryside of al-Salamiyah city, in attempts to minimize the areas controlled by the organization in the eastern countryside of Hama, and the regime forces managed yesterday to force the organization under the pressure of the heavy shelling and violent clashes, to withdraw from 3 villages and hills surrounding them, while the Russian and the regime’s warplanes carry out intense airstrikes on Eqayrbat district and areas controlled by the organization in the eastern and northeastern countryside of Al-Salamiyah city, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned earlier that the Russian forces tends to provide fire coverage and preparations, through daily intense shelling on the organization-held areas in the eastern countryside of Hama, in order to secure the road for the ground forces coming from the abovementioned areas, where the Russian forces are seeking, through this operation, to control the remaining “Islamic State” organization-held areas, which include oil and gas fields.
It is noteworthy that the regime forces on the 6th of July 2017 managed to achieve advancement towards al-Sukhnah city and became about 15 km away of the strategic city of al-Sukhnah, which is a new gateway for accessing Deir Ezzor province, the majority of the city is controlled by the “Islamic State” organization
The Syrian Observatory also published about 3 days ago that the regime forces had taken control of al-Heel oil field and forced the remaining members of the “Islamic State” organization in the field to withdraw from it towards their controlled areas in al-Sukhnah Desert.