FSA reportedly assaults major Syrian army strongholdNovember 3, 2017 - 16:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - On Friday, November 3 morning, Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions based in the Golan Heights launched an assault on the government-held town of Hader amid a wider bid to reach and break the siege of the nearby Beit Jinn opposition pocket, Al-Masdar News reports. With direct artillery support from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the fighters attacked the predominately Druze town of Hader from its western and northern axes at daybreak; although the clashes themselves are yet to halt, HTS has broken through the first line of defense set up by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and National Defence Forces (NDF) So far, at least two HTS suicide bombings have struck the outskirts of the town while rebel forces have captured the entire rural area directly west of Hader, thereby establishing a narrow corridor through to the Beit Jinn pocket which no longer is under siege. Sadly, many civilians were trapped in the initial crossfire while others were caught up by the impact of the car bombings. Before noon, a total of six civilians in Hader were confirmed dead while over 20 non-combattants had sustained injuries. Over noon however, the SAA and NDF regrouped for a swift counter-attack which had government forces retake the Al-Waseet point. Operations are also underway to restore control of the Al-Harrah and Qasr Al-Nafl hills, a military source told Al-Masdar News moments ago. Syrian choppers are swarming the area as we speak while Syrian troops are rushing to reinforce Hader and expand a buffer zone around the western gates of the town. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. U.S. believes peace is “possible” in South Caucasus The United States continues to believe that peace is possible in the South Caucasus, Vedant Patel said. Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. |