With Russian and Syrian air support, army units aided by the popular defense groups launched on Thursday morning a military operation in Atherya area in the eastern countryside of Hama province

With Russian and Syrian air support, army units aided by the popular defense groups launched on Thursday morning a military operation in Atherya area in the eastern countryside of Hama province, a military source was quoted by SANA as saying.

The source told SANA reporter that the army has already established control over Abu al-Zein Mountains and al-Masbah area, inflicting heavy losses upon ISIL in personnel and equipment.

The source added that the army units are now hunting the fleeing ISIL terrorists in the area.

Damascus Countryside

An army unit eliminated terrorists of al-Nusra Front (Qaeda branch in the Levant) in the vicinity of al-Maqrousa village in Damascus countryside.

A field source told SANA that an army unit, in cooperation with popular defense groups in the two villages of Al-Maqrousa and Harfa, clashed with terrorist groups affiliated to al-Nusra that launched an attack in the last few hours against al-Maqrousa locals from the axis of Tal Marwan-al-Taasemia in the southwestern countryside of Damascus.

The clashes ended up with killing and injuring a big number of the terrorists, forcing the remaining terrorists to flee and destroying a 14.5 mm heavy machinegun.

Daraa

In the southern province of Daraa, an army unit destroyed a position for al-Nusra terrorists in the southern city of Daraa.

The military source explained to SANA that an army unit destroyed a position for al-Nusra with all terrorist inside in the southern side of al- Manshiyeh neighborhood in Daraa al-Balad.

Terrorists of al-Nusra, Tawheed al-Janoub brigade, Mujahedi Horan battalions and other terrorist organizations, backed by the Zionist entity, are positioned in Daraa neighborhoods and countryside and continually target locals in safe areas with mortar and rocket shells.