Palmyra Gate

Syrian government troops on Sunday fended off Takfiri terrorists' attack on their positions in the direction of Wadi Abyad dam, west of the ancient city of Palmyra in Homs province.

The terrorists who had launched an attack from al-Hayyal Mountain suffered a heavy death toll after the Syrian army and the country's National Defense Forces (NDF) thwarted their attack near Palmyra in the Central Homs province and pushed them back from the battlefield in a counter-attack, FNA reports.

Damascus-led forces are said to have come as close as 0.2 miles away from the Palmyra Castle, also known as Fakhr-al-Din al-Ma'ani, and 1.2 miles away from the Palmyra gate.

"The Syrian government forces' operation was so heavy that the ISIL terrorists left behind their military hardware and retreated from the battlefield," the Spuntik News reported, citing the Syrian army.

Daesh fighters, were "surprised and confused" by the speed and the scope of the offensive. The SAA killed scores of terrorists and destroyed Daesh military equipment in its latest operation.

A large-scale campaign to free Palmyra itself is expected to be launched shortly. Prior to liberating the city, the SAA plans to take control over al-Quaryatayn and Maheen regions.

In another development in the same province, the Syrian army also thwarted an attack by the ISIL on military points in the surroundings of Maheen and Hawareen villages, killing and injuring many terrorists and destroying their weapons and munitions.

The government forces have deployed a large number of fresh forces, including the army men, NDF and Hezbollah fighters in different directions of Palmyra and are waiting for the imminent conquest of Quaryatayn and Maheen regions to launch a large-scale operation to end the control of the ISIL over Palmyra or Tadmur.

Syrian Army on the Way to Palmyra

Earlier, army said that the western territories of Palmyra were the scenes of fierce clashes between the ISIL terrorists and the Syrian government forces, leaving many of the militants dead or wounded.

The Syrian army and its allies are resolved to push back the ISIL from Homs province

Daesh, also known as ISIL, captured Palmyra in May and has since partially destroyed world-famous ruins. The terrorist group has also used the site for mass executions.