On Monday, the extremist rebel factions “Jabhat Al-Nusra” (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) and “Jund Al-Aqsa” (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) launched a joint offensive in the southern countryside of the Aleppo Governorate, targeting the villages surrounding Tal Al-‘Eiss near the Aleppo-Damascus Highway (M-5 Highway).

According to preliminary reports from social media activists in support of the Syrian opposition, Jabhat Al-Nusra and Jund Al-Aqsa have captured the hilltops of Tal SyriaTel and Tal Qinsarin after a fierce battle with the National Defense Forces (NDF), Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions), and Harakat Al-Nujaba (Iraqi paramilitary).

The aforementioned hilltops are located directly north of Banes, which is another important villages that is located near Tal Al-‘Eiss in the Aleppo Governorate’s southern countryside.

This recent assault by Jabhat Al-Nusra and Jund Al-Aqsa in southern Aleppo is the first offense that these groups have launched since December 2015.