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On March 3, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces backed up by the Russian Aerospace Forces captured the strategic towns of Utaya, Hazrama and al-Nashabiyah in the southern part of the East Ghouta pocket, according to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria.
The SAA captured the towns of Hazrama and al-Nashabiyah on February 25. However, a counter-attack by Jaysh al-Islam forced the SAA to withdraw from them back then.
Furthermore, Syrian pro-government sources confirmed that the SAA’s 4th Division had repelled an attack by the Ahrar al-Sham Movement on its positions in the Harasta district in the northern part of the pocket. SAA soldiers killed over 50 fighters of Ahrar al-Sham, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, Jaysh al-Islam claimed that its fighters had repelled an attack by the SAA on their positions in the town of al-Rayhanah in the eastern part of the East Ghouta pocket and had killed 12 SAA soldiers. However, pro-government sources reported that units of the Tiger Forces had manged to capture all the farms north and north east of al-Rayhanah.
The towns of al-Rayhanah, Shaffoniya, Bayt Na’im and Hawsh al-Ash’ari are the next targets of the SAA and its allies, according to local observers. Syrian opposition sources said that the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and the Russian Aerospace Forces are already targeting the militants’ positions in these towns.
Government forces are in the souhern part of the East Ghouta pocket:
الغوطة الشرقية
الصور الأوليه من المناطق المحررة في القطاع الأوسط في الغوطة الشرقية. pic.twitter.com/K3qYAntBwt— عاجل المؤيدة|syria (@syriaasadi) 3 March 2018
