Syrian Army Advances in Yabroud, Terrorists Collapse

Local Editor

Syrian forces succeeded in storming into Yabroud near the Lebanese border Friday, triggering fierce street-to-street fighting.

"The Syrian army Friday entered the town of Yabroud north of Damascus from the east, and advanced along the town's main street," an army source said.

He further said: "The rebels are fleeing toward Rankus village to the south. If their flight continues, the capture of the city is only a matter of days."

State television confirmed the army entered the city: "Syrian army units have advanced in the Yabroud area and now control its eastern approaches and northeastern boundary."

The broadcaster said the offensive had caused a "breakdown in the ranks of terrorist groups.
"This is the closest point ever reached by the army" to Yabroud, Observatory chief Rami Abdel-Rahman told AFP.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front earlier admitted "one position at Aqaba has fallen ... causing brother fighters to fall back to rear bases."
But it claimed that rebels were retreating, insisting reinforcements were on the way.
In a separate incident, the Syrian army killed 20 militants in an ambush in Tal Kalakh, a village 40 km west of Homs, a military source told Reuters.

The source said the attack happened near a customs checkpoint close to the border with Lebanon, about 4 km from the village.
Among the dead terrorists were Maher Yusuf, Mahmoud Abdulazez and Muhab al-Sayyed Ahmad, while other terrorists were arrested at the southern entrance of the city.

The reporter added that other terrorists were killed in Afra town, including Khaldon Sweid and Ahmad Shaban.

She added that other army units destroyed large amounts of weapons and ammunition, in addition to killing scores of terrorists in Barada valley.
Other army units inflicted heavy losses upon terrorists in Halboun town.
Meanwhile, the army units killed all members of an armed terrorist group in Adra al-Balad.

Another army unit killed many terrorists in Jobar neighborhood, including Khalid Suleiman and Mohammad Abu Areda from Lebanon and al-Abadi al-Yunisi from Tunisia.

In Homs countryside, a military source told SANA reporter that an army unit thwarted an armed terrorist group's infiltration attempt from al-Dar al-Kabira towards al-Dweir village in Homs countryside, leaving its members killed and injured.

Meanwhile, an army unit ambushed an armed terrorist group which attempted to escape from al-Hossn town to Khalid valley in Lebanon, killing all its members.
The authorities, in cooperation with the locals, stormed a terrorists' den in al-Qusor district in Hama and arrested all terrorists inside it.
Terrorists Mustafa Habra, Omar Ramadan al-Hussein, Adnan Qatrameez and Aslan Halabiyeh were among the terrorists who were arrested.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team