By Wassim Essa
On Friday, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) captured the bus station in Harasta district east of the Syrian capital Damascus according to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria. The SAA also continued its operations around the Armored Vehicles Base in order to secure its positions inside the base.
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Meanwhile, warplanes of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) conducted dozens of airstrikes against the positions of the Ahrar al-Sham Movement, Faylaq al-Rahman, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Jaysh al-Islam in the districts of Irbin, Harasta, Duma, Hamouriyah, Madira and Mesraba, according to local sources.
In a response, the militant groups shelled several civilian districts in the eastern part of Damascus city. Syrian pro-government activists said that at least four civilians were injured in the shelling.
From its side, Syrian oppositions sources reported that the Ahrar al-Sham Movement and its allies repelled another attack of the SAA around the Armored Vehicles Base. The sources claimed that Ahrar al-Sham fighters destroyed a T-72 tank of the SAA and killed several Syrian soldiers during the clashes around the base.
The recent offensive operations of the SAA in Harasta district confirm that the SAA is now working to capture the entore district, not just to secure the Armored Vehicles Base south of it.
