Huge explosions hit Homos after hours of cease-fire

Syrian regime forces have made reinforcements on the Jobar and Ein Tarma fronts, east of Damascus, while the opposition forces thwarted the attack. The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces said targeting residential areas and medical centers serves the terrorist groups’ interest.

Failaq al-Rahman announced that it thwarted an attempt by the 4th Armored Division to storm Ein Tarma region, killing dozens of the regime forces and armed men supporting them. An officer in Failaq al-Rahman stated that after the regime forces’ failure to launch the attack, they shelled Jobar and Ein Tarma as well as Jesrin town.

Jobar and Ein Tarma fall under the de-escalation zones in tandem with an agreement signed between Failaq al-Rahman and the Russian party mid-August. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Wednesday that fierce clashes were ongoing in Damascus and its outskirts of eastern Ghouta between the regime forces and their militias from one side and Failaq al-Rahman fighters from the other.

Further, the negotiations’ committee of Eastern Qalamoun held a round of talks with the Russian side in the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Syrian regime figures. The meeting discussed the current situation and the strict measures on civilians in Eastern Qalamoun.

The escalation in Damascus and Ghouta witnessed similar tension in the north of Syria where airstrikes targeted Aleppo’s countryside, leading to the destruction of a school but without causing any injuries, revealed SOHR.

In a related matter, Russia said that airstrikes in Idlib have killed five prominent field commanders and 32 members of al-Nusra Front. Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said that the airstrikes also destroyed militant ammunition depots and military vehicles.

On the other hand, Local sources informed that Russian warplanes carried out, on Wednesday, more than 18 air strikes on the town of al-Tamane‘a, south Idlib, Qasioun News reported.

The sources revealed that five Russian warplanes bombarded the city of al-Tamane’a with rockets, bombs, and Bunker-Buster missiles, wounding several civilians and causing a significant damage to the area.

Large number of civilians fled the Tamane’a City in the last two days towards north of Syria, the sources added. Furthermore, Russian warplanes conducted dozens of raids on the city, following an attack launched by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on the regime-held areas, in northern Hama.

It is noteworthy that the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced killing five leaders of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, south of Idlib, by several air strikes on the area, dozens of civilians were killed in Aleppo, Hama and Idlib.

The Syrian army forces and allied militias managed, on Wednesday, to recapture a number of strategic villages, near Jub Jarrah area, in the eastern countryside of Homs, Qasioun News reported.

Security sources informed that the Syrian army forces recaptured the villages of Um al-Soos, Kharafish, Rasm al-Arnab, Ghazila, Rak, Um Howaish and Safya, northeast of Jub Jarrah, in the eastern countryside of Homs, after violent clashes with the Islamic State militants, resulting in the killing of several militants and reducing IS-held areas to less than 200 square kilometers.

Furthermore, the Syrian army forces managed to recapture Uqayribat area, in eastern Hama, completely, backed by intensive Russian air strikes. It is noteworthy that Syrian army forces carried out an extensive offensive, in order to drive out the Islamic State militants from the eastern countryside of Homs and Hama, as well as imposing a siege on the area.

Local sources informed that Russian aircraft carried out air strikes, on Wednesday, on the Christian-majority Qaina and Yaqobia Villages, in the western countryside of Idlib, Qasioun News reported. The sources revealed that the two villages are Christian-majority, while pointed out that the air strikes were conducted on a church in one of the villages, killing a Christian child and injuring 5 others.

Meanwhile, other Russian air strikes were carried out on the areas of Bedama, Bashiria, Shatbarq, Sarmanya, Haloz, Ghasanya and Sad Al-Shaghr, in western Idlib, but no casualties were reported. It is noteworthy that the Christian-majority village of Yaqobia witnessed a significant displacement movement since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011; however, several families stayed in the village despite the consequences of the Syrian war in the area.

Russia has supported the government of Syria since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, and started its military intervention in the country after an official request by the Syrian government for military aid against rebel and jihadist groups.