On Thursday morning, the Islamist rebel group – “Jaysh Al-Islam” – renewed their offensive inside the contested town of Harasta after a two week long counter-assault by the National Defense Forces (NDF) in this area to the east of the Syrian capital.
With the Syrian Air Force grounded due to poor visibility from the weather conditions, Jaysh Al-Islam jumped at the opportunity to storm the National Defense Forces’ frontline positions near the Harasta National Hospital, where they would engage the aforementioned militia in a series of intense firefights that stretched late into the evening.
Islamist social media activists would claim they captured the Harasta National Hospital; however, Syrian military sources confirmed that the hospital is still under the control of the National Defense Forces, despite the fierce clashes still taking place at this medical facility.
Meanwhile, at the Madaya front, the Syrian Arab Army’s 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) – carried out a heavy assault at this town in the East Ghouta on Thursday.
The Syrian Armed Forces are attempting to cutoff the Islamist rebels last supply line to the East Ghouta; it will not be a difficult task, however, as the Jaysh Al-Islam militants cannot afford to lose Madaya.
If the Syrian Armed Forces are successful in this military endeavor, they will have officially cutoff the rebel supply routes, leaving the remaining rebel-held territory besieged from all sides.
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