Moments ago, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade and their 550th Regiment of the 18th Tank Division – in coordination with National Defense Forces (NDF) of Homs City and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade) – announced the capture of Tal Syriatel and Jabal Ma’ar outside the city of Palmyra (Tadmur) after a series of intense firefights with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) in the vast desert landscape of the Homs Governorate’s eastern countryside.

According to a military source inside the provincial capital of the Homs Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade and their allies imposed full control over Tal Syriatel and Jabal Ma’ar after overrunning ISIS’ defenses with their heavy armory, resulting in the terrorist group’s massive retreat from the aforementioned hilltops that overlook Palmyra’s west district.

The military source also added that over 25 ISIS combatants were reportedly killed during these battles, including Jamal Jassim Al-Murhi, Hussein Qassem Ghareeb, Mohammad Faysal Yasseen, Mohammad Thabet Al-Shughri, Radwan Issa Abu Qa’qa’, Wassim Yousif Khodor, ‘Umar Qandil Al-Muslimiyah, and Mahmoud Najib Nasser.

With the capture of Al-Bayarat and their recent advances at the Ancient Palmyra Quarries, Al-Kassarat and Al-Dawa, the Syrian Armed Forces are positioning themselves for a massive assault on ISIS’ defenses inside the ancient city of Palmyra; if captured, they will be in position to strike the strategic town of Sukaneh.