The Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division – in coordination with Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Aleppo City, Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions), and several Iraqi and Iranian paramilitary units – imposed full control over the villages of Tal Mamou and ‘Aziziyah in the Aleppo Governorate’s southern countryside after intense firefights with the Islamist rebels from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra”, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham this morning.

According to a battlefield journalist reporting from southern Aleppo, the Syrian Armed Forces, Hezbollah, and their allies launched a powerful assault from their positions at the recently captured village of Kafr Haddad towards the village of ‘Aziziyah; this battle lasted no more than an hour and ended with the Islamist rebels retreating to the nearby village of Tal Mamou.

Not long after losing ‘Aziziyah, the Islamist rebels from Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, Jabhat Al-Nusra, and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham would retreat from Tal Mamou following a fracture in their frontlines due to the joint assault by the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and Hezbollah; this loss for the Islamist rebels has allowed for the Syrian Armed Forces to advance west towards the strategic Aleppo-Damascus Highway (M-5 Highway).

On Saturday, the Syrian Armed Forces were able to position themselves for this assault on Tal Mamou and ‘Azizyah after they secured the road leading from Kafr Haddad to the aforementioned villages in the southern Aleppo countryside.

The objective of this Syrian Army offensive is to recapture the towns along the Aleppo-Damascus Highway in order to obstruct the Islamist rebels’ main supply route from the Idlib Governorate to the provincial capital of Aleppo.