On Tuesday morning in the Aleppo Governorate’s southern countryside, the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” – in coordination with their allies from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham – imposed full control over the village of Banes in an attempt to alleviate the pressure placed on the strategic towns of Al-Zorba and Khan Touman by the Syrian Armed Forces, Harakat Al-Nujaba, and Hezbollah.
Following the capture of Banes, the Islamist rebels of Jabhat Al-Nusra and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham launched two suicide attacks on the Syrian Arab Army’s defenses at the southwestern perimeter of Tal Al-‘Eiss; however, both of these VBIED (vehicle-borne-improvised-explosive-device) attacks were repelled by the pro-government forces before they could reach their intended destination.
Unfortunately for the Islamist rebels, their assault on Banes and Tal ‘Eiss was not enough to rattle the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and Hezbollah; instead, the later forces intensified their assault on the strategic town of Al-Zorba, resulting in their entry after a series of intense firefights with Jabhat Al-Nusra, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham.
In addition to their advance at Al-Zorba, the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division – in coordination with Hezbollah, Harakat Al-Nujaba (Iraqi paramilitary), and the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Aleppo City – encircled the imperative town of Khan Touman after securing the farms that surround the village of Zeitan in southern Aleppo.
Currently, firefights are still ongoing between the Syrian Armed Forces and the Islamist rebels at the southern axis of Tal Al-‘Eiss; however, there has been no reported infiltration, despite multiple claims from the Syrian Opposition’s social media activists.
According to a battlefield journalist that is embedded with the SAA’s 4th Mechanized Division in southern Aleppo, the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies have not lost any ground they gained during yesterday’s attack – all reported gains at Zeitan and Tal Barakah from the Syrian Opposition have been denied by the field source.