Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (a coalition of militant groups led by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) launched an advance against government forces in the Qabun Industrial Area in Damascus. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham used car bombs to break government defenses and seized a number of points, including the electric company building. Then, government forces launched a counter-attack and retook the electric company building. Heavy clashes are ongoing.
The goal of the militant advance is to link up the Qabun area with Jobar and the Eastern Ghouta region held by militants.
De-facto, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham already broke the siege and linked the militan-held area around Bazrah with the Eastern Ghouta. However, the situation is rapidly changing and the opened supply line is very vulnerable to attacks from government troops. The situation could be easily compared with the battle for the Ramouseh Artillery Base in western Aleppo.