Rebel lines shatter following Syrian Army breakthrough in key east Damascus suburb (Pictures)

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:25 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has achieved a major tactical and operational breakthrough in the eastern Damascus suburb on Ayn Tarma. Here today, the SAA engaged both the Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group and the Faylaq al-Rahman Islamist faciton, crushing them and then complementing this with a successful advance into Ayn Tarma, capturing the belt of buildings which had – until now – represented the main defensive line for rebel forces in the suburb.

The area of buildings liberated by the SAA have been the most heavily defended in the whole district over the past four weeks. The insurgents are noted to have put up an absolutely fanatic stand in attempting to hold onto their positions within them.

According to military sources, at least 15 militants were killed during the SAA assault to clear these buildings. Those insurgents who did not die nonetheless retreated.

The specific area of the SAA’s advance within Ayn Tarma was in the western part of the district in the direction of the Al-Kheir market area and southeast of the Sunbel fuel station.

With the main line of resistance so-far encountered in Ayn Tarma now overcome by pro-government forces, the calculations of certain observers who have argued that the militants have no second line of defense to fall back to (having invested all their resources into forward-most defense) will now be either proven or dis-proven.