Syrian army recaptures all areas fallen to rebels during Damascus offensive

Source: Xinhua 2017-03-20 17:34:12

An opposition fighter from the Failaq al-Rahman brigade fires a heavy machine gun in Jobar, a rebel-held district on the eastern outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, on March 19, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

DAMASCUS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army recaptured all areas fallen during Sunday's wide-scale offensive by rebels in eastern Damascus, the military general command said Monday.

The army retook all points lost to the rebels of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and like-minded groups in the factories area at the entrance of the rebel-held neighborhood of Jobar in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, said the statement.

The operation targeted all areas which the rebels used to launch their wide-sale offensive on the eastern part of the capital on Sunday.

A day earlier, the rebels launched a large-scale offensive led by the the al-Qaida-linked militants against Syrian army positions and residential areas in the eastern part of the city.

Sunday's offensive began in the early morning when the Nusra Front and allied militant groups sent three suicide car bombs, targeting military positions at the outskirts of the rebel-held Jobar neighborhood in the eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus.

The rebels captured several buildings that government forces were controlling on the frontline between Jobar and the government-controlled areas in Abbasiyeen area.

Residents in Abbasiyeen and the nearby areas, said the Syrian soldiers fanned out in the streets, which are close to the battle lines to repel the rebel offensive.

Before midnight, cautious calm prevailed Damascus, amid sporadic shelling heard every now and then.

It's worth mentioning that the Nusra Front is designated as a terrorist group by the UN, and thus excluded from any settlement.

The group recently changed its name to the Front for Conquering the Levant, after it alleged to have cut ties with the al-Qaida.

The group was responsible for deadly bombings that recently took place in Damascus, and the central city of Homs where tens of people lost of their lives.