Advances of Assad's Forces in Northern and Central Syria

The Syrian Human Rights Reporters Organization announced on Sunday, August 6, that government forces in Syria have made advances during the clashes on Saturday night, August 5, in northern and central Syria, getting closer to the city of Deir ez-Zor. According to the French news agency, this organization, based in London, stated that the Syrian army has made significant progress on the Raqqa front, with Bashar al-Assad's forces stationed south of Raqqa city. Raqqa is the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State (ISIS). Concurrently, the Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by airstrikes from the US-led international coalition, are attempting to liberate Raqqa from ISIS control, with a significant portion of this military force comprised of Syrian Kurdish militants. The Syrian Human Rights Reporters Organization also reported that Syrian regime forces are only four kilometers away from the city of Mayadeen, which is located on the border of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces and is under ISIS control. This human rights organization also noted that the city of al-Sukhnah in Deir ez-Zor province has been recaptured by the Syrian army. According to the report, clashes in this city resulted in 30 deaths. The French news agency reported that this victory paves the way for the Syrian government's forces to advance towards Deir ez-Zor city, which is almost entirely under ISIS control and was the target of missile attacks by the Revolutionary Guards following deadly ISIS attacks in Tehran last June. Nevertheless, the Syrian government has not yet confirmed the recapture of al-Sukhnah, and the state news agency SANA stated that the army has besieged the city from three sides. Meanwhile, according to the Syrian Human Rights Reporters, at least 64 ISIS militants were killed during the clashes on Saturday in the Badiya desert, located between Damascus, the capital of the country, and Deir ez-Zor. The Syrian civil war began in 2011 and has resulted in between 350,000 to about 500,000 deaths and more than 10 million displaced persons. The US representative in the coalition against ISIS stated on Saturday that the group has lost 78% of its territory in Iraq and 58% in Syria, but there are still about 2,000 of its militants present in Raqqa, Syria.