Syria/Iraq update 8/23/2019..Army Finishes Clearing Northern Hama Pocket

Army Finishes Clearing Northern Hama Pocket

How the Syrian Army liberated the northeastern countryside of Hama on the map

The Churches in Mhardeh and As Suqaylabiyah are knocks to celebrate the victory of the Syrian Arab Army and the liberation of the entire northern countryside of Hama

While combing the land of Kafr zita Syrian Army completely controls the northern countryside of Hama

The infantrymen of the Syrian army advance in the city of Murek, which has not entered since 2012, with the lens of the Turkish soldiers at the “Ninth Turkish Ninth observation Point”

Near the Turkish point in Murek .. No voice louder than the voice of the men of the Syrian Arab Army, echoing the words of loyalty to the leader Bashar Hafez al-Assad

Brigadier General Suhail Al – Hassan over the liberated areas.

Khan Sheikhoun Ghost Town, after liberation

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Iraq’s Hezbollah Warns US of Crushing Response to New Attack on Military Positions in Iraq

https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980601000527

Iraqi Hezbollah Battalions in a statement held the US responsible for recent attacks on its military positions in Iraq, and warned that Washington will receive a crushing response in case of more attacks. “We consider the US as solely responsible for raids on our military centers and we are aware that they are planning to launch other attacks either directly or indirectly through Zionists,” the statement said. It noted that the US has now resorted to launching direct attacks on the centers and headquarters of Hezbollah Battalions, and said that the US uses some Iraqi local mercenaries to spy on the country’s military centers. Iraqi Hezbollah Battalions warned the Washington that any new attack on Iraq’s military centers will receive a rigid response, and said that the US should come to know that commencing any clashes will result in a full expulsion of the US from the entire region.

In a relevant development earlier on Friday, Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi (popular mobilization forces) traced and targeted a spy drone over one of its centers near Baghdad. The Hashd al-Sha’abi in a statement on Thursday announced that the air defense systems of the popular forces’ Brigade 12 has intercepted a spying drone over its center in Baghdad. The statement said that Hashd al-Sha’abi prevented the hostile aircraft from conducting its reconnaissance mission.

In a relevant development on Thursday, second-in-command of Hashd al-Sha’abi Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, held the United States fully responsible for recent attacks on the volunteer forces. He said in a statement that the US, which has contributed to the emergence of terrorist groups in the Middle East, is now considering various ways to violate Iraq’s sovereignty and targeting the Hashd al-Sha’abi . “We have accurate and credible information that Americans brought in four Israeli drones this year via Azerbaijan to operate within the US fleet to carry out sorties aimed at Iraqi military headquarters. We also have other information, maps and recordings of all types of American aircraft, when they took off, when they landed and the number of hours they flew,” al-Mohandes pointed out. “Instead of chasing Daesh terrorists, US military aircraft are collecting information and data concerning the brigades of Popular Mobilization Units, and their warehouses and arms depots,” the statement added.

Sayf al-Badr, the spokesman of the Iraqi Health Ministry, said in a statement that at least one person was killed and 29 others were wounded in a powerful explosion, which rocked a military base in Southern Baghdad on August 12.

An unnamed source from Iraq’s Interior Ministry stated that an ammunition warehouse exploded inside a federal police military base, named Falcon, in Owerij area near the Southern district of Doura. The source added that the blast was followed by a series of explosions at the warehouse that sent a large amount of shrapnel to nearby houses.

FarsNews Agency – Syria in Last 24 Hours

The Damascus Army laid siege on the Turkistani party terrorists’ strategic stronghold in massive operations in Northeastern Lattakia as government forces have made extensive advances in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib.

“The army forces have launched heavy artillery and missile attacks on the Turkistani and Tahrir al-Sham al-Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) terrorist groups’ positions and movements in al-Kabana in Jabal al-Akrad region in Northeastern Lattakia, killing a number of militants and destroying their military equipment,” a Syrian military source reported.

Meantime, the Syrian army continued its military advances in other parts of Syria over past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army’s operations in provinces across Syria.

Lattakia

The Syrian army laid siege on the Turkistani party terrorists’ strategic stronghold in massive operations in Northeastern Lattakia concurrent with extensive advances in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib.

A Syrian military source reported on Thursday that the army forces have launched heavy artillery and missile attacks on the Turkistani and Tahrir al-Sham terrorist groups’ positions and moves in al-Kabana in Jabal al-Akrad region in Northeastern Lattakia, killing a number of militants and destroying their military equipment.

He added that the Syrian army forces have paralyzed the terrorists’ moves in al-Kabana and surrounded it.

Meantime, al-Masdar news website reported that the Russian air force has also launched repeated heavy attacks on terrorists’ positions in al-Kabana.

Hama

The Syrian army continued to advance in Khan Sheikhoun in Southern Idlib, imposing control over more regions and areas occupied by terrorist groups and Ankara in Northern Hama.

The Syrian army troops kept up clashes with Tahrir al-Sham terrorists in Tal Tara’a in Eastern Khan Sheikhoun, recapturing a sugar plant, al-Souseh region, farms near the town of Murak and Khazanat post office in Southern Khan Sheikhoun.

Meantime, a field source reported that the Syrian army soldiers encountered their comrades stationed in Khan Sheikhoun, surrounding from all sides all towns and villages occupied by the terrorists in Northern Hama, including al-Latamineh, Kafar Zita, Murak and al-Sayad as well as a region occupied by Ankara.

He added that several terrorists were killed in the Syrian army operations, noting that the army forces also destroyed a number military equipment and vehicles used by the terrorists to flee towards the occupied regions in Murak.

The Syrian army troops started cleansing the districts and streets of the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun which is considered as a gate for the army to purge the terrorists from other occupied areas in Hama and Idlib too.

Idlib

The Syrian army prepared a safe passage for civilians to leave the terrorist-held areas in Southern Idlib and Northern Hama amid militants’ attempts to take them hostage in Northern Hama.

An official source in the Syrian foreign ministry said that the army has set up a safe corridor in Souran region in Northern Hama after continued pressures by the terrorist groups in Northern Syria on the civilians.

The terrorist groups intend to prevent the Syrian army’s advances in Hama and Idlib by using civilians as human shields after the Syrian army gained control over the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun in Southern Idlib and laid full siege on the regions occupied by the militants in Northern Hama.

Meantime, the Arabic-language Dampress website reported that nearly 5,000 terrorists along with the Turkish army forces have been fully besieged in Murak after the army surrounded 207sq/km of regions in Northern Hama.

On Monday, the Syrian army managed to enter Khan Sheikhoun after five years.