New Anti-Government Front Opened Up in Eastern Syria by US-backed Militants: Report

A field source told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television news channel on Monday that members of the so-called Deir Ez-Zur Military Council have fortified their forces in seven villages east of the Euphrates River as part of preparation for an offensive on government-held positions.

Syrian army forces, in return, have beefed up their combat preparedness, and vowed to respond decisively and forcefully to any militant attack, the source added.

The source further highlighted that Iraqi resistance fighters have also pledged to assist Syrian government troops in their operations against militants from the Deir Ez-Zur Military Council, and said they will firmly and mightily confront any act of adventurism in the region.

There are reports that US military artillery units are providing fire support for the militants, who are led by the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

According to field reports, Syrian army units have strengthened their defensive lines, repelled terrorist attacks, and prevented them from achieving any breakthroughs in two districts.

Foreign-backed terrorists led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) Takfiri group carried out a surprise assault in the Aleppo and Idlib countryside last week, and overran a number of villages and towns before entering Aleppo on November 27.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. Damascus has slammed Western states and their regional allies for aiding terrorist groups to wreak havoc in the Arab country.

Terror outfits are seeking to hinder the Syrian government’s efforts aimed at consolidating security and stability in the country, which frequently comes under the Israeli regime’s aggression.

Israel has been the principal supporter of terrorist groups that oppose the democratically-elected government of President Bashar al-Assad since the foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria.