Dec 12, 2014

During military operations in western Qalamoun, the Syrian army closed the main supply border crossings for the armed groups in the countryside of Homs and Rif Dimashq that are linked to Lebanese territories. These actions were part of the military operation dubbed the Great Battle of Qalamoun, which began last winter and ended in the spring of 2014.

The west of Qalamoun remains in the spotlight, however, as the armed groups scattered between the rural areas of Arsal and Brital in Lebanese territory and al-Jibba, Hawsh Arab and Assal al-Ward in Syria are trying to get back to their strongholds in Qalamoun to reposition there.

With the onset of winter, attention began turning to eastern Qalamoun as, according to sources, this area was beginning to attract armed groups wandering in the Syrian desert. The region has turned into an assembly point, after first and foremost being a major crossing point for gunmen. Now, this geographical zone has become a barricaded area for militants, given its wide spaces and harsh terrain open to the countryside of Homs in the north and the desert in the east, not to mention the pathways leading to Iraq in the east and to Jordan in the south.

Military sources told As-Safir that a major military operation is underway in the region, whose heralds began to surface on Nov. 14, when the Syrian army took control of the Umm Ruman hillside to the northeast of Dumeir, overlooking the Damascus-Baghdad road.

A field commander told As-Safir that after controlling al-Saqi farms, near al-Nabak, the Syrian army has started looking toward the eastern Qalamoun area. "These farms used to serve as organizational bases for the distribution of humanitarian and material aid convoys to armed groups in the Homs countryside and Rif Dimashq," he said.