By Wassim Essa, click to see the full-size image
On May 3, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Palestinian Liberation Army (PLA) managed to split the ISIS-held pocket south of the Syrian capital of Damascus,after capturing several key positions between the district of al-Hajar al-Aswad and the Yarmouk refugee camp, including the cemetery area, according to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria.
Click to see the full-size map
The Syrian pro-government news outlet Damascus Now said that the SAA had captured a heavy VBIED of ISIS during their advance in the northern part of al-Hajar al-Aswad. Moreover, SAA soldiers killed several ISIS fighters and commanders.
The ISIS-linked news agency, Amaq didn’t report any new operations of ISIS south of Damascus, which could mean that the terrorist group’s defense is collapsing there.
The SAA and its allies are planning to launch two new ground attacks on remaining fighters of ISIS in the Yarmouk camp from the northern and eastern directions in the upcoming days. These attacks will likely result a the full collapse of the remaining ISIS defenses there.
Syrian pro-government activists claimed that the SAA and its allies are planning to kill or capture all the remaining ISIS fighters in southern Damascus. However, an evacuation agreement still remains possible, according to local observers.
