On Friday morning, the Syrian Arab Army’s 128th Brigade of the 1st Armored Division – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Sadad, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), and the Assyrian “Gozarto Protection Forces” (Sootooro) – launched their large-scale offensive to capture the strategic desert-city of Quraytayn after conceding it to the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) in early August of this year.

The Syrian Arab Army’s 128th Brigade and their allies began their assault on the small village of Muntar Armilah, where they were confronted by a large ISIS contingent that was attempting to forestall their advance along the Maheen-Quraytayn Road.

Following a series of intense firefights that resulted in a high death toll for both parties, the SAA’s 128th Brigade and their allies imposed full control of Muntar Armilah; this resulted in their subsequent advance to the village of Thaniyah, which is located just a few kilometers away from the ancient Assyrian city of Quraytayn.

The Syrian Arab Army’s 128th Brigade and their allies kept their momentum going near Quraytayn as they seized the small village of Thaniyah after encountering very little resistance from the crumbling ISIS forces that were attempting to obstruct their advance.

With the capture of Thaniyah and Muntar Armilah, the Syrian Armed Forces have effectively advanced to the Quraytayn countryside, where ISIS is deeply entrenched and expecting a massive assault from the pro-government forces.

Assisting the Syrian Armed Forces throughout the day was the Russian Air Force’s fighter jets, who carried a number of airstrikes over ISIS positions; this provided the pro-government forces the boost they needed to advance towards Quraytayn.