Syrian regime forces shifting from Deir ez-Zor on Iraqi border to west of country

By Omer Koparan, Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu, Ahmet Karaahmet, Esref Musa and Zeynep Katre Oran

DEIR EZ-ZOR/ As the anti-regime armed groups reach Homs city center and pressure on the Syrian capital Damascus increases, the regime army on the Iraqi border has started shifting some forces to the west.

The regime army is trying to gather the troops it needs as the anti-regime armed groups started advancing into Homs after Idlib, Aleppo and Hama, putting pressure on the capital Damascus.

Some of the Syrian regime forces in the PKK/YPG-occupied area on the line separated by the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor province in the east of the country bordering Iraq have started to withdraw from there.

The regime army left 7 villages under PKK/YPG's occupation in the area - Iran's strategic supply corridor extending to Syria through Iraqi territory and Lebanon.

Withdrawing from the villages of Murrat, Hashsham, Mazlum, Tabiyye, Husseiniya, Salihiya and Hatla in Deir ez-Zor, the army forces are heading to the west of the country.

- Situation in Deir-ez Zor

Iranian-backed groups have a strong presence in the region, from Deir ez-Zor's city center to the Al-Bukamal district near the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Almost all of Deir ez-Zor's territory east of the Euphrates River is occupied by the US-backed terrorist organization PKK/YPG, while the Assad regime and Iran-backed groups control the provincial capital and other rural areas.

Clashes between Syrian regime forces and anti-regime groups first erupted on Nov. 27 in the western countryside of Aleppo.

By Nov. 30, the armed forces had taken control of most of Aleppo’s city center and established dominance across Idlib province.

On Dec. 5, following intense fighting, anti-regime forces captured the city center of Hama.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 1, the Syrian National Army launched Operation Dawn of Freedom against the PKK/YPG terror group in the Tel Rifaat district of Aleppo's countryside, liberating the area from terrorist elements.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan