On Saturday afternoon, the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) launched a large-scale offensive inside the Aleppo Governorate’s eastern countryside in order to counteract the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) march towards the Kuweires Military Airport in the Deir Hafer Plains.

ISIS began their offensive by targeting the imperative hilltop at Tal Reeman and the small village of Al-Salihiyah; this assault resulted in the National Defense Forces (NDF) withdrawal from the aforementioned sites to the large town of Al-‘Aziziyah inside the Al-Safeera District of east Aleppo.

Not long after ISIS took complete control of Tal Reeman and Al-Salihiyah, the terrorist group attempted two massive attacks on the towns of Al-‘Aziziyah and Tal ‘Arn to the north of Al-Safeera; however, they ran into the fierce defenses of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) at these towns before they could achieve any progress.

Following a long battle at Tal ‘Arn and Al-‘Aziziyah, ISIS was forced to withdraw to Tal Reeman after sustaining significant casualties and the destruction of their heavy weaponry during their failed infiltration attempt at the aforementioned towns.

During ISIS’ retreat to Tal Reeman, the Russian Air Force reappeared in east Aleppo to punish the terrorist group with repeated airstrikes over their positions; this lasted for nearly six hours on Saturday night before the Russian Air Force returned to the Hmamiyat Airfields in southwest Latakia.

The terrorist group’s recent offensive in the Aleppo Governorate’s eastern countryside appears to be an attempt to alleviate the pressure on their forces in the Deir Hafer Plains.