International Coalition warplanes overnight Monday targeted sites belonging to the Iranian militias in Al-Quriyah and Al-Mayadeen in the countryside of Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, using heavy machine guns, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported. There is no information about human losses so far.
Using heavy artillery from its base in the Conoco gas field, the International Coalition forces targeted sites in the towns of Marat and Khasham, in an area known as “the seven villages.”
The seven villages (Al-Husseiniya, Al-Salihiya, Hatla, Marat, Mazloum, Khasham, and Tabia) are of strategic importance as they are located east of the Euphrates River, and constitute a direct point of contact with the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), unlike the rest of the areas separated by the river. It is noteworthy that this area had witnessed the entry of Russian forces at an earlier time to reduce Iranian influence there.
The SOHR reported that the SDF mobilized their forces in the Maamel area, coinciding with the withdrawal of Russian forces from their military headquarters in the seven villages, located within the areas controlled by the regime forces in the Deir Ezzor countryside.
The Russian moves have raised speculation that the SDF may take control of the area or launch an attack to retake it from regime forces.
In a sweeping escalation of the ongoing conflict, rebel forces in northern Syria have launched a formidable offensive against troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, dealing a significant blow to the regime’s hold on key territories.
The operation, ominously named “Deterrence of the Aggression,” began in earnest on Wednesday, November 27. Rebel units surged toward Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, while a simultaneous thrust from Idlib targeted the strategic town of Saraqib and the critical M5 highway, which links Aleppo to major cities such as Hama, Homs, and Damascus.
By Friday night, the offensive had borne fruit. Regime forces and allied Iranian militias were forced into retreat, enabling the rebels to wrest control of Aleppo and its environs. This victory severed the city’s vital connection to the M5 highway, paving the way for a southward push toward Hama. The developments mark a stark shift in the dynamics of a war that has raged for over a decade, underscoring the volatile and ever-changing landscape of the Syrian battlefield.
Over the weekend, rebel forces in Syria continued their sweeping offensive, consolidating gains in areas east and south of Aleppo and advancing further along the strategic M5 highway to the outskirts of Hama. The intensifying campaign has further eroded the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces over key regions.
In a parallel escalation, Turkey-backed rebel groups announced the launch of a separate military operation, dubbed Fajr al-Tahrir (Dawn of Liberation). This offensive, aimed at Assad’s forces, focused on the Al-Bab region, with fighters advancing south toward the M4 highway, a vital artery linking Aleppo to the Deir ez-Zor region in eastern Syria. The move effectively severed parts of Kurdish-held territory, adding a new layer of complexity to the multi-front conflict.
The dual offensives reflect the fragmented and volatile nature of the Syrian war, with competing factions jockeying for territorial control and foreign powers playing pivotal roles in shaping the conflict’s trajectory.
Nov. 26, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a strike against an Iranian-aligned militia weapons storage facility in Syria. The strike is in response to an Iranian-aligned attack against US forces in Syria yesterday.
CENTCOM conducted this strike against the Iranian-backed group’s weapons storage facility to degrade their ability to plan and launch future attacks on U.S. and Coalition forces who are in the region to conduct D-ISIS operations.
