The Army of Islam announced on Tuesday the beginning of an offensive on Islamic State (ISIS) positions in eastern Qalamoun, seeking to open a supply route linking the region to the country’s north, according to an online statement by the rebel alliance.
Activists said that Army of Islam fighters seized control of al-Afaei Mountain after expelling ISIS fighters who control large swathes of the Syrian Desert.
The Army of Islam said its elite fighters, who operate under the 5th Brigade, are conducting the offensive against the radical Islamist group.
Meanwhile, Southern Front fighters captured a major Syrian army base in the south of the country on Tuesday, a monitoring group said, in a setback reflecting the mounting pressure on Assad's regime after recent losses elsewhere, Reuters reported.
The southern region near the border with Jordan and Israel is one of the most hotly contested areas in the country, where rebels have managed to inflict significant defeats on pro-Assad forces in the past three months, most notably by capturing the Nasib border crossing with Jordan in April.
Edited by The Syrian Observer
