Syria sends reinforcements to Palmyra to counter Daesh

The Syrian army says reinforcements have been deployed to the ancient city of Palmyra in the west-central Homs Province to prevent the Takfiri Daesh terrorists from further advancing toward the city.

According to Press TV, the army said in a statement on Saturday that clashes are underway between government forces and the terrorists, who have advanced to the city’s outskirts.

The statement said that the terrorists had seized areas to the northwest and southeast of the historic city.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the terrorist group launched the recent offensive late on Thursday, when it seized grain silos northeast of Palmyra, and has since taken at least partial control of oil and gas fields to the city’s northwest.

The Syrian army, backed by popular forces and a wave of Russian airstrikes, retook the ancient city from Daesh on March 27 following weeks of military operations.

Syrian army and allied forces are also busy driving the Takfiri terrorists from the strategic northwestern city of Aleppo. On Friday, government forces liberated 52 blocks in the eastern parts of the city and are now in control of 93 percent of the whole city, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The recent army gains come despite the persistent financial and military support that many foreign states have been providing to the militants since 2011 to bring about the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

Meanwhile, foreign-backed terrorists on Saturday carried out new rocket attacks on government-held areas in Aleppo, leaving ten civilians dead and injuring 25 others.

SS