This map provides a general look at the military situation in Syria and Iraq on December 15, 2017:
- The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies are still clashing with ISIS terrorists south of al-Mayadin on the western bank of the Euphrates. Earlier this month, ISIS attacked positions of government troops in the area and even entered few villages. Since then, the situtation has been complicated in the area.
- The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are developing momentum on the eastern bank of the Euphrates with a mid-term goal to retake the entire area from ISIS.
- The SAA has advanced agaist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and captured few hills in the Beit Jinn pocket in southern Syria.
- Clashes betwen the SAA and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are ongoing in northeastern Hama and southern Aleppo as government forces prepare for a large-scale operation in the area.