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The Syrian army, Hezbollah and other pro-government groups have entered the area of Aqrab in western Aleppo. November 16 morning, the government forces launched a preemptive shelling of Jaish al-Fatah militants in Aqrab and then attacked their positions. Following a series of clashes, the army and its allies boke the militnats’ defenses to seize the area. Most of militants withdrew from Aqrab to al-Rashidin 4. However, some firefights was ongoing in the area. If the government forces fully secure Aqrab, they will reverse all gains achieved by Jaish al-Fatah in western Aleppo during its major offensive in the area.
On November 17, the Syrian army’s Tiger Forces and its allies attacked al-Rashidin 5 from the direction of al-Assad, engaging Jaish al-Fatah militants in a series of firefights. Advances took place amid heavy Russian air strikes in the Aleppo-Idlib countryside.
The Syrian military has deployed a number of Pantsir-S short to medium range air defense systems to the Kuweires Military Airbase near the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to reports. The aim of this move is to defend the government forces in Aleppo from the Turkish Air Force that has been supporting the pro-Ankara militant groups’ advance on the ISIS-controlled town of al-Bab in the province of Aleppo.
The recently appeared photo from the Kuweires Military Airbase confirms that at least one Pantsir-S system has been deployed in the area. Recently, up to 1,000 Syrian army soldiers arrived to the Kuweires Military Airbase to reinforce the government forces invoved in military operations in Aleppo city. Pro-government sources argue that Syrian soldiers have been continuing to arrive to the area.
At least 30 Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists, including three field commanders, were killed by raids of Su-33 from Admiral Kuznetsov’s deck in the province of Idlib. “Eliminated field commander Abul Baha al-Asfari was in charge of uniting the remaining reserves of Jabhat al-Nusra groupings in the provinces of Aleppo and Hama, as well as of planning and carrying out another militant attack on Aleppo,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.