Moments ago in the Homs Governorate eastern countryside, the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) imposed full control over the village of Al-Bayarat after a surprise assault on the Syrian Arab Army’s defenses near the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur).

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According to a battlefield report from eastern Homs, ISIS launched another assault on Al-Bayarat, but this time under the cover of the dense fog that created visibility issues for the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade of the 18th Tank Division and the National Defense Forces (NDF).

The assault reportedly began at 5:30 A.M. (Damascus Time), when ISIS drove their armored vehicles through the dog and stormed the Syrian Armed Forces’ first line of defense at Al-Bayarat.

Facing the possibility of being overrun by ISIS, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade and the National Defense Forces had no choice but to retreat west towards the road leading to the oil rich town of Jazal in northeast Homs.

In the last 72 hours, ISIS has recaptured both Al-Dawa and Al-Bayarat; these aforementioned villages were just captured by the Syrian Armed Forces two weeks.

As a result of this setback in the Palmyra countryside, the Syrian Armed Forces are no longer within 2km of the ancient city.