It should come as no surprise that the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) is being closely monitored by their Russian military advisors; however, as of recently, the Russians have escalated their participation by utilizing their air assets to conduct reconnaissance missions around the Homs Governorate’s eastern countryside.

On Friday morning, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade of the 18th Tank Division – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Hezbollah – continued their advance towards the ancient city of Palmyra, targeting the terrorist group’s defensive positions to the east of the strategic hilltop at Tal SyriaTel.

According to a military source in the Homs Governorate, the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance killed over 20 enemy combatants from ISIS on Friday, including a number of foreign fighters from Dagestan, Tunisia, Libya, and Saudi Arabia.

North of Palmyra, the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” – in coordination with Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade) – captured the remaining gas wells at Jabal Al-Sha’ar (Poet Mountains) that the ISIS terrorists seized two weeks ago during their abrupt offensive in the Jazal Mountains.

To add to ISIS’ plight in east Homs as of late, the Russian Air Force flew a number of reconnaissance missions on Friday; these flights specifically monitored the terrorist group’s movements around the vast desert surrounding the ancient city of Palmyra.