On Thursday morning, the so-called “Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham” (ISIS) launched a large-scale counter-offensive inside the eastern countryside of the Aleppo Governorate, targeting the Syrian Arab Army’s defensive positions around the Kuweires Military Airport in order to recover several villages that were lost these last 4 months.

The ISIS assault began around 10:00 A.M. (Damascus Time) when a suicide bomber attempted to drive his vehicle into a military post that was manned by Syrian Army personnel outside the recently captured village of Al-Si’in – the terrorist’s car was destroyed and he was killed before he could reach his intended destination.

Following the failed suicide attack, ISIS stormed the Syrian Arab Army’s defenses at several sites in the Al-Safira Plains in order to increase the distance between the government forces in the Al-Bab Plateau and the Sheikh Najjar Industrial District of Aleppo City.

Despite ISIS’ repeated attempts to recapture several sites in east Aleppo, their contingency never came to fruition, thanks in large part to the Syrian Armed Forces who were unwilling to concede any territory to the terrorist group in the Deir Hafer and Al-Safira Plains on Thursday morning.

Currently, the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” are position approximately 10km east of the Sheikh Najjar Industrial District’s 3rd Zone; if they are able to link their front-lines with the aforementioned site, they will have effectively encircled ISIS in east Aleppo.