The Syrian Army alongside the National Defense Forces (NDF) launched a counter-offensive near the ancient city of Palmyra in the central province of Homs. They successfully repelled an attempted attack by Daesh militants.

Government forces commenced their counter-assault near the small village of al-Dawa in the western countryside of Palmyra where they cleared the area of Daesh militants that were entrenched along the road leading to Palmyra.

"Following their success at al-Dawa, Syrian army troops and their allies shifted their attention to the Ancient Palmyra Quarries from the northwestern side, backed up by the Russian Air Force’s fighter jets," a military source told FARS News.

The army and its allies regained control over the territory that was lost to Daesh along the main stretch of quarries in Palmyra’s northern countryside. Clashes are still underway between government forces and Daesh fighters at the foothills of Palmyra.

In the recent weeks, the Syrian Army and its allies backed by Russian airstrikes have been attacking militants’ defense lines and concentration centers near Palmyra to pave the way for recapturing the city.

The army is resolved to push the militants back from Homs, especially from Palmyra, a treasury of historic monuments.

On Monday, Syrian forces continued their offensive against militants’ positions in Homs, inflicting heavy losses on Daesh and the al-Nusra Front.

The Syrian Army destroyed Daesh positions and vehicles, some of which were equipped with machine guns, in Tuloul al-Soud and Tar al-Kharouba in the vicinity of Quaryatayn in Homs. It also targeted Daesh command posts in the eastern part of Homs.