Govt Forces Foil Major Jihadist Attack In Southwest Aleppo Countryside

Photo: George Ourfalian / AFP / Scanpix / LETA

AlMasdarNews reports: The jihadist rebels of Jaysh Al-Fateh launched another desperate offensive in the Aleppo Governorate on Wednesday, targeting the southwestern corridor of the city this time after failing to make any progress at the Al-Zahra’a Quarter.

Led by their largest faction, Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (formerly Al-Nusra Front), the jihadist rebels stormed the strategic Hikmah area of southwest Aleppo from their positions at the Rashiddeen 4 suburb; this resulted in a fierce battle with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hezbollah on Wednesday night.

Following their second attack at the Hikmah area, the jihadist rebels were forced to retreat after the Syrian Arab Army’s Republican Guard forces and Hezbollah launched their own counter-assault to expel Jaysh Al-Fateh.

According to a military source in Aleppo, the Syrian Armed Forces and Hezbollah have made several advances around the Rashiddeen 4 suburb and Hikmah Hill, killing and wounding a number of militants in the process.

This jihadist offensive on Wednesday night began approximately 10 hours before the first buses from the surrendered eastern districts of Aleppo were scheduled to arrive in the Rashiddeen 4 suburb.