BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:30 P.M.) – Reports have just come in from the front in eastern Homs that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies, in their ongoing advance towards the strategic town of al-Sukhnah, have captured most of a key mountain chain which overlooks areas of the al-Hayl gas field that have thus far eluded their control.
After liberating the rump of the al-Hayl gas field yesterday, the SAA today achieved the capture of most the hilltops within the al-Qalilat mountain chain to the northwest of the al-Hayl area.
In addition to securing this strategic stretch of high-ground which overlooks the al-Hayl complex, the SAA also managed to kill in excess of twenty (20) ISIS terrorists.
After the advance made today, the northern part of the al-Hayl complex which is still controlled by ISIS should soon be abandoned by the terrorist group due to the fact the jihadists are now under the fire control of the SAA’s artillery.
There are additional benefits to this latest advance, for the area of the al-Qalilat mountain chain already captured today also offers fire control over a large stretch of the remaining road between the al-Hayl complex and the strategic town of al-Sukhnah. It serves to not only give pro-government forces an ideal terrain for taking the remainder of the al-Hayl area and defending their new positions from any possible ISIS counter-attack, but also to ease the last leg of the journey to al-Sukhnah itself.