Syrian regime forces restore control on Deir Al Zour

Syrian regime forces said Friday they have liberated the eastern city of Deir Ezzor from ISIS, putting them in full control of the long contested city. The forces and their allies first broke the militant group's siege of its part of the city in September and have been advancing against ISIS positions since then.

Deir Ezzor had been divided into a regime-held and an ISIS-held part for nearly three years. The development is the latest significant defeat for ISIS as the extremist group sees its self-proclaimed "caliphate" crumble and lose almost all urban strongholds.

The Syrian regime forces and Kurdish-led forces backed by the US are now racing to take the rest of the oil-rich eastern province. The developments in the Syrian battlefield came as Iraqi forces punched into ISIS’ last urban bastion across the border.

The simultaneous assaults on Deir Ezzor and Al-Qaim in western Iraq dealt fresh blows to to the terrorist group in its former heartland, leaving Albu Kamal, on the Syrian side of the border, the last town of note under its full control.

Also Friday, a suicide car bomb attack killed nine people in a regime-held village in Syria's Golan Heights, regime media said. The car bomb hit the outskirts of the village of Hader, and had injured at least 23 people.

In Daraa, Local sources informed, on Tuesday, that the Syrian rebels have set an ambush to the Syrian regime force, in the northern countryside of Daraa, Qasioun News reported. The sources revealed that the Syrian rebels’ Jayesh al-Ababil faction set an ambush for a group of the Syrian regime forces, while they were attempting to sneak into the area of Zamrin, in northern countryside of Daraa, to plant an IED, killing several soldiers of the regime forces and injuring others.

The rebels ambushed the regime forces after advancing into the area, the sources added. It is noteworthy that the southern areas of Syria, including Daraa, al-Qunaitra and As Suwayda joined the ceasefire agreement made between Russia, Jordan and the United States.

Clashes took place after the midnight of Wednesday – Thursday, between the rebel and Islamic factions against the “Islamic State” organization, in the area of Da’bul Street in Al-Tadamon neighbourhood, and information about confirmed casualties in the ranks of the both parties. Areas in Kafr Zita in the northern countryside of Hama were shelled after the midnight of Wednesday – Thursday, by the regime forces, which caused material damage, without information about casualties.

An IED exploded after the midnight of Wednesday – Thursday, in the car of the leader of Manbij Military Council, while he was driving home on Al-Jazeera Road, which caused material damage, and the warplanes carried out 11 raids at least, on areas in the villages of Sayyalah, Hejarah and Al-Howaywi in Mount al-Hass, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and no information about casualties was reported, while unidentified gunmen kidnapped yesterday the director of “Directorate of Education of Free Aleppo” in the western countryside of Aleppo, and took him to unknown destination, without information about his fate until now.

an explosion was heard after the midnight of Wednesday Thursday, in Al-Dana town, in the northern countryside of Idlib, caused by an explosion of an IED in a vehicle of a relief organization in the area, without information about casualties.