Parallel to the announcement by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov of the signing of a "de-escalation" plan in Syria (on which Online Defense will return extensively) in Astana between Russia, Iran and Turkey, operations to rout the ISIS in the country Arabic continue.
Without going into detail, military sources would have admitted the involvement of special departments in Moscow, alongside Syrian forces in the east of the Arab country. This is nothing new, of course, but now the context is strategically different.
In the first days of May, the arrival in the east of Palmyra of large departments of the Tiger Forces, elite troops of the Syrian army, had already confirmed the plans whispered to the General Staff of Damascus: the final offensive to free Deir Ezzor after three years of siege is ready.
Syrian units commanded by Colonel Al Hassan, veterans of large-scale operations north of Hama, are close to Al Sukhnah, a city at 50 km east of Palmyra and around 130 by martyr Deir Ezzor. Al Sukhnah is the last city of the governorate of Homs and introduces to the aridity of the governorate of Deir Ezzor, eastern part of Syria and last stronghold in the hands of the Islamic State.
On Friday afternoon 5 May, departments of 137a brigade of the 17a division resumed control of the Thardeh mountains, in the western area of the besieged city. Thardeh's surveys were at the center of the September controversy, when US Coalition planes bombed (officially by mistake) Syrian units, causing about 80 deaths among the soldiers of Damascus (read article).
Most of the Caliphate posts surrounding the city would now be under fire from Syrian artillery.
Everything would be ready for a massive offensive conducted from west to east, mainly by the forces of the 5a Legion (which includes the so-called ISIS Hunters), whose purpose would be to defeat the ISIS defenses west of Deir Ezzor and reach the besieged units so far supplied only by plane or helicopter.
Deir Ezzor, after the announcement by the US intelligence of an evacuation of the ISIS headquarters from Raqqa (virtual capital of the Caliphate), has returned to the center of the news.
The southeast area of Syria is the strategic node that has allowed the Islamic State to survive so far, thanks to the line of continuity with Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
(photo: ISIS Hunters twitter)
