The Syrian army and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have retaken control of the Al-Mazar Mountaion (marked by a red circle) north of the ancient city of Palmyra.
The control over the Al-Mazar Mountaion also allowed government forces to seize the nearby military depots (marked by a red circle) and to secure the northern flank of the ancient city from a possible attack from ISIS terrorists.
Governent forces are seeking to retake hill tops and mounains north of Palmyra in order to avoid the situation when ISIS is able to attack the government-held area near the ancient city from this direction.
