Battle for Deir Ezzor Heats Up; News from Latakia and Idlib

Deir Ezzor Governate:

After the violence dissipated in Deir Ezzor last week, ISIS shifted its focus to the Kurdish controlled areas of Al-Hasakah, northern Ar-Raqqa, and Kobane; however, this changed yesterday, when an ISIS contingent resumed its siege of the Deir Ezzor Military Airport and the village of Al-Haweeqa. The Syrian Arab Army’s 104th Brigade of the Republican Guard repelled the ISIS infiltration attempt into the airport’s vicinity, killing two dozen militants before blockading part of the contested road. Among the dead ISIS militants near the Deir Ezzor Military Airport was the ISIS field commander, Mohammad Hameed Al-Sayaah from Tal Kalakh in the Homs Governate.

ISIS militants stormed the Republican Guard’s positions at the village of Al-Haweeqa, attempting to breach the SAA’s defenses from the east. The ISIS attack was forestalled by the alert Republican Guard soldiers, who later countered the attack and killed 19 militants. River St. and the Al-Jubeileh District were also attacked by ISIS, but each attack was repelled by the Syrian Arab Army.

The militants killed at Al-Haweeqa:

1. Hassan Sabahi
2. ‘Aamer Madaah (Yemeni)
3. ‘Usama Nouri
4. Mohannad ‘Awad
5. Saraj Mustafa (Libyan)
6. Samir Muza’al (Libyan)
7. Safwan Hameed
8. ‘Ahmad Bahjat (Tunisian)
9. Moqdad Najam (Lebanese)
10. ‘Abdel-Rahman Sharrif (Saudi)
11. ‘Abdel-Fatah Hussein

The rest were not identified.

Idlib Governate:

On the outskirts of the city of Saraqib, the Syrian Arab Army destroyed an Islamic Front den, killing 18 militants and 16 others yesterday. 2 SUVs equipped with an anti-aircraft machine guns were destroyed during the assault. Among the 18 militants killed were 7 members of the Al-Fadel tribe from Saraqib, fighting with the Islamic Front in the Idlib Governate. The militants who were identified are as followed:

1. Heitham Al-Fadel
2. Mohammad Heitham Al-Fadel
3. ‘Abdel-Qader Heitham Al-Fadel
4. ‘Umar Al-Fadel
5. ‘Amraan Mohammad Al-Fadel
6. ‘Ahmad Mohammad Al-Fadel
7. Mohammad Al-Joudi
8. ‘Abdel-Nasser ‘Umar Al-Fadel

Latakia Governate:

The Syrian Arab Army destroyed a large Jabhat Al-Nusra weapons depot at the village of Beit Sharouq in the Latakia Governate. Jabhat Al-Nusra suffered 22 casualties during this battle, including one emir from Chechnya:

1.  Abu ‘Ayeesha Al-Shishani (Chechen leader of Jaysh Al-Mujahideen)
2. Monzer Boujaaq
3. Mahmoud Al-Salah
4. Majdi Al-‘Areefa (Saudi)
5. ‘Abdullah Al-‘Aamri