A screenshot from the video
On Thursday, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies announced start of the Operation “Grand Dawn” aimed at liberating the eastern Syrian desert from militants. The “Grand Dawn” operation will reportedly become the biggest operation against ISIS in Syria.
The SAA has already damaged the offensive capabilities of ISIS in central and southern Syria, and prevented the US-led coalition from threatening the capital Damascus.
According to the Hezbolalh media wing in Syria, the SAA and its allies have so far managed to capture more than 1,300 square kilometers in the area between Palmyra city and the eastern Qalamoun area.
The SAA and its allies continued advancing and managed to take full control of the strategic Palmyra-Damascus highway. The SAA liberated the Abu Dali mountain, Thaniat al-Manqora, Kasarat al-Manqora, Thaniat Wadha, Al-Anibah triangle and Kan Atiba.
Click to see the full-size map
In the course of its advance, the SAA captured the villages of Sawanah and Khanifis. According to unconfirmed reports, the SAA also managed to capture the village of Olayana south of Palmyra after the withdrawal of the Syrian Free Army (FSA) from it.
Through this great advance, the SAA has eliminated ISIS forces between the southern Palmyra countryside and eastern Qalamoun. Moreover, it has besieged Jaish al-Islam militants in eastern Qalamoun ,as well as foiled a possible Free Syrian Army advance towards Damascus.
Photos showing the government advance in the province of Homs (source):
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
This offensive makes sense only if intelligence reports – first and foremost FSBs – confirm that the number of trained and equipped NSA proxy army in Jordanian camps is in the 100s and not in the 10Ks as MSM trumpets. Than it’s 5th gear all down to Jordanian border. In the opposite case I’d take a shovel and start fortifying the crossroads from US proxy attack – pronto…
Agree, I suppose that if they don’t move now, the US head-chopping, heart-eating rapers will be pushed by their US terrorist godfathers into forestalling operations.
The NSA likely numbers in the thousands with “supporting forces” playing the spearhead role. This offensive is more or less forced at this time with the SAA position in Deir Ezzor still borderline unstable and two western back groupings able to set their sights in the city with a crumbling ISIS military.
I’d suggest the SAA operation along the Iraqi border is of secondary importance to the SAA at this time, serving more as a distraction for the NSA to prevent them committing their full force to Deir Ezzor before the SAA can relieve it, if the Iraqi border can be liberated that will likely be considered an added bonus rather than a primary objective achieved.
It’s desert country all the way up to Iraqi border and north to Der Ezzor. NSA – no matter how numerous – can’t organize a major advance without controlling whatever roads there are and with secure supply lines to Jordan. SAA controlling of Al Tanf cuts there supply and the advance in the bud. Still I’d fortify Busayiri crossroads and create a mobile force of local Druze and Arab loyalists to harass and if opportunity arises clear more area in the desert. Priority should be push to Der Ezzor, but with second axis towards T3 and T2 bases to insure NSA has nowhere to advance. Best case scenario – all this coordinated with Iraqis…
Most certainly, they can’t organise an advance without controlling the roads to their major supply stashes, however with the US demonstrating it’s willingness to directly counter advances in this direction, it’s more cost efficient simply to draw forces and hope to better balance the battle between ISIS and these groups at the other border crossing which ISIS should consider valuable enough to put up significant defences, being the only paved crossing remaining under their control.
I also agree with fortifying the critical points in the area in preparation for a larger force to clear the area after the Deir Ezzor campaign, or indeed after the Tigers have done their bit in the Maskanah plains, the Desert Hawks or the Republican guard could finish the job with the Tigers most likely assigned to support the Deir Ezzor campaign in some other fashion.
Well the Empire is very powerful and yet not all-powerful. Are these numbers under its sole control? If the loyalists show sufficient determination, delivering the message that any NSA goons crossing the Syrian border will be sent back in a box pronto, that can’t but put a damper on recruitment?
I would suggest Iskander love.
The NSA has very low manpower. A few hundred men.
With this massive advance. Hope is kindled.
There is now a real chance that this horrible war will soon come to an end and Syria will know peace again. All those outside powers fueling this evil war will have egg on their faces. Rotten Eggs that is…
Globalist rats need to hang after being tried in a truly impartial court, not like their kangaroo courts.
Superb news. The pressure is forcing the US to enlist its ‘mercenaries’ in NATO now that the Saudi funded ISIS is in retreat. Whether the European governments that CONTROL their NATO forces are ready for yet another disaster in the Middle East remains to be seen.
God Speed to the SAA and all their valiant allies, with high recognition for Russia and President Putin who thus far have prevented the Black Flag of US Democracy flying over
Completely agree. The tide has really turned.
There will be dangerous days to come as the US is further exposed as being a very dishonest player in the tragedy of the Middle East. Americans are all too often full of the hubris of Empire that has been the demise of ALL empires in history. In the winter of Empire the leaders flay out in all directions and blame every one else for their demise.
I agree. US won’t let Syria-Iran-Russia coalition win any time soon. Besides perpetual wars are good for business. And dead Arabs was always “a price worth paying” at least for American politicians. As Obama said some time ago – US is “the indispensable nation” – which means that all other are quite dispensable…
A State Dept spokesman last year in an answer to a question about wars in the Middle East said ” America creates her own reality”. This is possible with a far weaker opponent BUT in Syria it may not be possible.
Reality has never been a strong point of despotic nations.
Unfortunately the US actions have spawned IS and Al Nusra and I doubt that the fanatics in those organisations will give up murdering innocents around the globe for decades. Terror is hitting the West and we refuse to name the Elephants in the Room who are funding this demonic ideology.
We know that people recruiting and indoctrinating Wahhabi and Salafi terrorists are Saudis and their cousins in the Gulf Emirates. We’ve known this information since 1980s. Yet Trump organizer anti-terrorist i.e. anti-Iranian coalition where those same enablers and financiers of terror are “honorable members” and than “mourns” dead girls in Manchester- talk about hypocrisy.
Sadly many people in the West actually believe what the US says. Only when more terror attacks occur in Europe and the US will more citizens ask ‘Why Us?. Britain is in shock from the dreadful attack this week BUT few realise that terrorist suicide bombs are a multiple daily hazard in Syria and Iraq.
We in Britain are not shocked by a terrorist attack, we in Britain stand strong in defiance in the face of adversity from those who try to tear our very fabric of being apart, we will always stand side by side, different communities, race, religion, ethnicity, creed, age and gender, we stand as one.. We fight as one, we live together and we die together.
The thing that was different to many attacks that happen in iraq-syria and other parts of the world, is that the scum who carried out the attacks on Manchester deliberately targeted children as young as 8 years old. Suicide bombers who deliberately target young minors are not a common thing in iraq and syria. This is disgusting and may all the perpetrators meet their makers by the hand of British special forces who will flush them out 1 by 1 and erase there souls from the existence of eternity and mankind, may they burn in hell
There are sadly too many instances of young and old being the targets of hundreds if not thousands of suicide attacks in Syria and Iraq. If we include that rabid US /NATO supported Ukranian army, we can include many deliberate targeting of schools in the Free Donbass area as well.
As for ‘Standing Strong ‘ despite religion politics etc, your words belie the FACT that alien religions have always caused discord wherever they may be. Unfortunately the UK is now suffering from the flawed strategic decisions in the Middle East and I fear greatly that the Genie of Saudi Wahabi Terrorism will be with us for decades to come. The ONLY way to really combat the scourge is to remove those who fund this terrorism and that would incur the COMPLETE eradication of the Saudi Royal family and the sequestering of ALL their wealth.
If the West is not willing to do this , we must sadly learn to mourn our dead with dignity.
Stuart, Here in Russia we strongly condemn that horrible tragedy that happened in Manchester. But reading your post shows that you just don’t realise what is really going on. You country (using your tax money) is actively participating in creating/funding and training the very same organisations that commited that act of terror in MC. It also sound as if you think that suffering of UK’s kids are not that important as suffering (created by your leaders using your tax money) of kids in Syria, Libia, Iraq, Yemen etc. You say that US/UK funded “moderate terrorists” are not commonly attacking children? Look around (don’t waste time reading MSM) – just today they killed more than 20 kids in Egipt. Copt christian kids.
I could not agree with you more, I do not believe that other childrens suffering or anyone else of that matter is less important than anyone else’s suffering so I am deeply sorry if it came across in that way. The one consistent things you hear from terrorist in videos and messages that they make is how “we should open our eyes to our governments actions”.. which is always swept away by the media and the main point being the murder or atrocities they are about to commit. In no shape or form am I justifying there atrocious actions but there message is true. Our governments are responsible for the actions of the terrorists, some nations who are supposed to be our friends outright support and fund the terrorists and yes our own governments do to, which is why I said we need to stand together to bring those responsible to justice, we need to reshape our entire foreign policy and for the greater good of everyone.
Thank you for this post Stuart. This gives me hope that human beings still have a chance to survive on this planet.
British special forces = scum = false flags = isis, you must not get out much – hopefully you brits reap what you sow and what you do to others. May you have the same cancer rates to boot.
In the “American reality” neocons think they can coddle snakes and make them friends and good pets, however, in the present day reality those snakes turn on you and bite.
By US being indispensable nation, means their boots on the ground will be limited while the proxies will do the dying. It is going to come a time when the proxie supply will dry up, and if they want anything accomplished they will need boots on the ground, not special forces. I feel they do that, a reconfigured and reequipped Syrian army along with its allies will be a worthy foe against US forces, capable of bleeding them badly. Since American exceptionalism does not bleed, they will be hard pressed to be a credible potent force in the area, except for intrigue, manipulation and shock.
Best to do this before the 110 billions in weapons goes online as it were. Looks like RU re-equipment and modernization has been very effective, I wonder how many ship and plane-loads of T72 and SU 24/5 spares and upgrades have been sent in, looks like they are able to strike now on four fronts, in 2016, it was only one and in late 2015, none as the situation was very very grim.
Jeezus Christ, it was about time that these wobbly-kneed militias advanced into territory that was abandoned by ISIS weeks ago.
They, or at least their brothers in arms, got bombed by the US with Russia looking away as usual. And yet they’re still fighting. Given the realities of their training/leadership/equipment, how much more can be expected?
if u think u can do better, why dont u go over there and sign up urself?
I wonder if they managed to hit the guy who was running away he was pretty lucky he didn’t get hit !!!!
Any day now all out war will break out between Turkey and the kurds, Israel and the USSA etc.This will be the end of the terrorist plans of the racist supremacist Jewish empire for a greater Israel by dividing up Syria, Iraq and Turkey in the Yinon plan.
Operation “Grand Dawn”, I like the name (It’s a new day).
I was looking at FSA village Olayana yesterday on the maps, it had become isolated from the main road to Al Tanf. So tomorrow there may be a bit more red on the map between Zaza junction and Palmyra.
The southern flank is being secured for the drive on Deir Ezzor.
Good news !
Operation Grand Dawn, what a great name, also very symbolic: terrorists are darkness and the light is coming!
verrrrrrrrrrry nice, i like how they are naming their operations now, grand dawn its a nice name, as it is truly a new dawn in syrian history/era. you know what, i wanna visit syria after the war is won and its relatively safe/secure to go to interesting and historic sites!
This war is far from over with the US coalition strengthening their position between Iraq and Jordan areas.