https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxR7gesDl6M
On Saturday, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hezbollah captured most of the city of al-Bukamal, according to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria.
The media outlet added that the SAA and its allies are now conducting a security operation inside the city to secure few remaining areas.
The ISIS-linked news agency Amaq didn’t publish any news from al-Bukamal city on Saturday. This could mean that the entire city was under the control of the SAA and Hezbollah.
The rapid advance of the SAA suggests that ISIS members had been able to withdrew from al-Bukamal, likely through the Euphrates River. ISIS fighters likely move towards the Nineveh Desert west of Mosul city, inside Iraq.
Click to see the full-size map
Al-Bukamal was the last stronghold of ISIS inside Syria. It’s one of the most strategic positions on the Syrian-Iraqi border. Now ISIS controls only few villages along the western bank of the Euphrates, north of al-Bukamal and an empty desert area in the eastern Homs countryside.
UPDATE: The videos released online allow to confirm that the SAA and its allies have reached the roundabout, the watertower and electricity station.
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
