The eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate was engulfed with violence on Wednesday, as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) engaged in several bloody battles that left several combatants dead and/or wounded.

ISIS began the day with a large-scale assault on the strategic town of Jubb Al-Jarrah, where they were confronted by a large contingent of fighters from the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions).

The battle for Jubb Al-Jarrah lasted for over 8 hours before ISIS finally withdrew from the town’s eastern flank after sustaining heavy casualties against the Syrian Armed Forces on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, northeast of Jubb Al-Jarrah, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade of the 18th Tank Division – in close coordination with the National Defense Forces – advanced south towards the Ancient Palmyra Quarries after securing the entire mountaintop of Jabal Jazal and its abundant oil fields.

South of Palmyra, the Syrian Armed Forces advanced to Wadi Al-Dhakara, seizing the part of the valley after a violent battle with the ISIS terrorists entrenched around its hilltops.

Recently, Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade) were deployed to the Palmyra front as part of a much larger force that is looking to break-through ISIS’ front-lines and recapture the city.