On April 17, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), backed by the National Defense Forces (NDF), launched a large-scale combing operation in the eastern Homs countryside.
The operation targeted a vast region laying between al-Sukhnah Mountains and the gas fields of Shaer and Jazal, near the historical city of Palmyra.
“All ISIS cells’ targets, which were uncovered [in the course of the operation], were targeted with rocket launchers and artillery,” the NDF’s media center said in a short statement.
According to the NDF’s statement, the combing operation in eastern Homs will continue until the mission is completed.
نفذت قوات الجيش العربي السوري بمساندة وحدات من الدفاع الوطني عملية تمشيط واسعة للمنطقة الممتدة من جبال #السخنة وصولا الى حقول النفط في #جزل و #شاعر ببادية #تدمر
وتم استهداف جميع الاهداف المكتشفة لخلايا داعش بسلاح الراجمات والمدفعية
وتتابع القوات عملياتها القتالية حتى تنفيذ المهمة pic.twitter.com/u46F1I8NGW— Yusha Yuseef ?? (@MIG29_) April 17, 2020
Earlier this month, ISIS launched a large-scale offensive in eastern Homs. The group captured several military positons between al-Sukhnah and Wadi al-Waer, threatening gas and oil fields.
The SAA repelled the offensive after three days of intense clashes with support from the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Click to see full-size map. Source: (@Suriyakmaps) on Twitter, Via Google Maps – TerraMetrics
The new combing operation will likely allow to reduce the ISIS threat in eastern Homs for the time being. However, more efforts will be needed to put an end to the terrorist group’s presence in Syria’s central region.
