The recent arrival of reinforcements from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hezbollah have paid dividends on the battlefield for the government forces in rural Palmyra, as they have managed to liberate large chunks of territory from the Islamic State (ISIL) forces in the area.
Backed by heavy Russian airstrikes, the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Corps and their allies liberated more than 2km of highway near the strategic desert town of Arak, in Palmyra’s eastern countryside.
According to Al-Masdar’s Ibrahim Joudeh, the Syrian Arab Army liberated several hilltops overlooking the ‘Arak Gas Fields from its northwestern axis; this has positioned the government forces some 4km away from the desert town.