Syrian regime forces advance in Aleppo countryside

Clashes renewed in the vicinity of Tabqa military airport with renewed artillery and air bombardment accompanied by violent clashes and hit-and-run battles in the northern Hama countryside, as well as renewed clashes on the eastern axis of Damascus, and shelling of government forces on the city of Daraa.

Meanwhile, widespread escalated resentment prevails Madaya city, which is besieged by the regime and the Lebanese Hezbollah in the northwest of Rif Dimashq, and reliable sources inside the city confirmed that discontent was raised because of the process of demographic change in the areas of Madaya and Zabadani in the northwest of Rif Dimashq, which will be initiated by an agreement with Iran and support by Qatar.

The agreement about Zabadani and Madaya in the Rif Dimashq, Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah in the northeastern countryside of Idlib and Yarmouk camp south of the capital Damascus states:
- Complete evacuation for Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah in duration of 60 days in two phases in exchange for:
- Evacuating Zabadani and the families of Zabadani and Madaya and in the surrounding areas to the north.
- Cease-fire in the areas around al-Fu’ah and the area of south of the capital (Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem).
- A truce for a period of 9 months in the areas mentioned above.
- Entering non-stop humanitarian aid to the mentioned areas, in addition to aid to al-Wa’er neighborhood in Homs.
- Evacuating 1500 captives from the prisons of the regime of those who were detained due to events related to the revolution (in the second phase of the agreement) without specifying the names (because of the difficulty of negotiating the file with the regime) .
- Providing mutual lists by both parties for the numbers and names of the prisoners to work on the exchange.
- Evacuating Yarmouk camp (fighters to al-Nusra in the area)."
  
The crossed sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) that it is expected at 12 am of 29th of March 2017 for a ceasefire to start in the areas of Madaya, Zabadani, Al-Fu’ah, Kafriya, south of Damascus and the southern countryside of the capital, also a goodwill gesture between the agreeing parties of Jaish al-Fateh, the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranians. The agreement will be implemented on the 4th of April 2017.

Violent clashes continued during the hours of last night between members of the ISIS organization against the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) supported by warplanes of the International Coalition north of al-Tabaqa airbase, after an attempt by SDF to advance in the area. The clashes were accompanied by exchange of targeting between both parties, during which the SDF managed to monitor the road linking al-Tabaqa and Al-Raqqah which is coming from the eastern countryside of Aleppo. 

In the same context, a funeral was held for two fighters from SDF, they were killed in clashes in the countryside of Al-Raqqah within the operation of "Euphrates Wrath". Warplanes also carried out after midnight yesterday a raid on area in the outskirts of al-Raqqah city, the main stronghold for the ISIS organization in Syria, no information about injuries.

SOHR was informed by reliable sources that warplanes believed to belong to the International Coalition are the ones which targeted and killed the Syrian engineer Ahmed Hussein – the man in charge of running the Euphrates Dam and managing it with another technician in al-Tabaqa area in the western countryside of Al-Raqqah, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for human rights: the targeting of Al-Hussein took place at 2:30 am on the 28th of March 2017 (Syria time), where he was targeted with a group that accompanying him including other technicians from the technical team of the Euphrates Dam in al-Tabaqa housing area by warplanes believed to belong to the International Coalition.
 
The sources confirmed to the observatory that the targeting took place when al-Hussein was getting out of one of the buildings in al-Tabaqa housing area accompanied by 12 other persons. The death of al-Hussein with another technician was confirmed while others were injured, and the fate of the other targeted persons of the group is still unknown until this moment.

SOHR received information from several reliable sources in Al-Raqqah city, which is considered the stronghold of the ISIS organization in Syria, that the organization have withdrawn hundreds of its fighters from the city, and in the details of which the Syrian Observatory had documented; the ISIS organization withdrew about 900 of its fighters from Al-Raqqah city, and sent them to the battle fronts against the US Special Forces, the SDF and the al-Nukhba al-Arabiya Forces in the countryside of Al-Raqqah, but the activists of SOHR were not able yet to now the destination that the 900 fighters were sent to.

This withdrawal operation came in conjunction with the escalation of the clashes between the SDF and al-Nukhba al-Arabiya Forces supported by the International Coalition against ISIS organization in several fronts in the eastern, northeastern and western countryside of al-Raqqah, which in turn were carried out in conjunction with processes of preparations of American artillery and their bases in addition to the bases of rocket launchers.

This came in preparation for the grand battle of al-Raqqah, after the SDF, the International Coalition and US Forces have brought reinforcements of fighters and vehicles, and entering by the International Coalition for hundreds of military vehicles accompanied by equipment, ammunition, military advisers and tens of soldiers of the US Special Forces to participate in the grand battle of al-Raqqah.

Clashes took place yesterday night between the regime forces against the ISIS organization in the outskirts of al-Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood which is controlled by the organization, accompanied by intense shelling by the regime forces on the clash areas, also the regime forces shelled after midnight yesterday areas in Jobar neighborhood at the outskirts of the capital, no information about casualties. 

There were also clashes between regime forces and Islamic factions in western Qalmoun accompanied by the bombing of regime forces on the areas of engagement and areas of the presence of factions, without information about casualties.

The eastern neighborhoods of the capital are witnessing since this morning escalation by the regime forces and warplanes, which targeted the neighborhoods of Qaboun, Jobar and Teshreen east of Damascus, where he the regime forces launched about 10 rockets believed to be ground-to-ground on areas in the neighborhoods of Qaboun and Teshreen and the eastern outskirts of Jobar and other places in its surrounding farms.

Violent clashes are taking place since this morning between the regime forces against the rebel and Islamic Factions in the Zimrin town area, accompanied by shelling by the regime forces on areas at the outskirts of al-Hara town. Meanwhile, a missile believed to be ground-to-ground launched by the regime forces after midnight yesterday and fell on area in Daraa al-Balad in the city of Daraa causing material damage, while an IED exploded in a motorcycle on the road between al-Shomarah and Shiah which caused injuries and confirmed information about the kill of two fighters in this explosion.

In Homs, clashes renewed between the regime forces against ISIS organization in the area of ​​Shaer Mount and Shaer field, accompanied by the bombing by warplanes and helicopters and heavy shelling by the regime forces on the clash areas.

In Idlib, a child was killed on her injures in a bombardment of warplanes on areas in the city of Khan Sheikun a few days ago in the southern countryside of the province.