Pro-Government Forces Advance Into Deir Ezzor
An Iraqi Shiite militia fighting alongside the Syrian government reached Deir Ezzor’s administrative borders on Friday, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The advance led by the Shiite Iraqi Harakat al-Nujaba militia came after pro-government forces captured positions held by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Deir Ezzor’s southeastern countryside, near the border with Iraq.
Friday’s push also saw pro-government forces expanding the territory they control along the Syrian-Iraqi frontier. Iranian-backed forces have spread along 85km (50 miles) of the border and are now stationed within 12km (7.5 miles) of the T2 oil station in the Deir Ezzor countryside, according to the monitor.
The advance comes roughly one week after Syrian troops and allied militias connected with Iraqi forces at a meeting point along their shared border. Pro-government forces are now closing in on ISIS in Deir Ezzor, in a prelude to a wide-scale offensive to wrest full control of the oil-rich province from the militants.
Israel Steps up Attacks in Southern Syria
Israeli fighter jets targeted Syrian government positions in the southern Quneitra province for a second day in a row Sunday, Reuters reported.
The Israeli attacks coincide with pitched battles between Syrian government forces and the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance in the city of Baath, near the Golan Heights.
The Israeli army struck a Syrian army ammunition truck and two artillery positions in retaliation for errant Syrian army shells that landed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Sunday.
It was the second day in a row that errant fire from Syria drew Israeli retaliation.
On Saturday, Israel launched airstrikes on Syrian military positions in Quneitra after they were used to launch 10 projectiles that inadvertently landed in the Golan Heights, Reuters reported.
A Syrian military source told Reuters that Saturday’s strike had also hit a residential building, causing a number of deaths and damage. Syrian state media has accused Israel of carrying out the attacks in support of the insurgent HTS group.
Israel has regularly targeted Syria after projectiles have landed in the Golan Heights. Tel Aviv has also carried out attacks against Hezbollah weapon supplies in Syria.
Government Releases More Than 600 Detainees Ahead of Eid
More than 600 detainees, including some who backed the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad, were released by the Syrian government Saturday, the Associated Press reported.
Justice minister Hisham al-Shaar said that the 672 people, including 91 women, were released in a bid to “sustain national reconciliation efforts and the homeland’s unity.” He said of those released, 588 were freed in the capital Damascus.
The release comes on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, the feast that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Syrian authorities usually release detainees on major holidays.
Meanwhile, a local council designed to administer the ISIS-held city of Raqqa once the city is liberated pardoned 83 low-ranking ISIS detainees Saturday in a goodwill gesture designed to promote stability, Al Jazeera reported. Officials from Raqqa’s Civilian Council said that pardoned militants had no blood on their hands and did not hold senior posts within the militant group.
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