Meantime, the Syrian army and popular forces continued their military advances in other parts of Syria, including Damascus and Dara'a over past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army's operations in Syria's key provinces.

Homs

The Syrian government forces and Desert Falcons fighters gained control over a strategically important height near Palmyra East of Homs province on Friday.

The Syrian Army and Desert Falcons on Friday won another battle in Eastern Homs after hours of fierce clashes with the ISIS Takfiri terrorists.

The Syrian soldiers and their allies have pushed back the Takfiri terrorists in the region near the ancient city of Palmyra, and captured the Qalaat Fakhr ad-Din al-Maani Castle, known as the "Palmyra Castle".

The Syrian army soldiers and their allies have kept on marching on militant-held regions in Eastern Homs province in recent days to capture the strategic city of Palmyra which has been under the control of the ISIS since May 2015.

Government forces in cooperation with the National Defense Forces (NDF), Hezbollah fighters and Syrian and Russian air forces have purged the ISIS Takfiri terrorists from 110 square kilometers of lands near Palmyra.

Several units of the Syrian army and their allies entered Palmyra through its Western gate on Wednesday and are still battling to free the city. As more army units are advancing towards the city from other directions, several battlefield reports said ISIS terrorists have been escaping the city and retreating to Raqqa, some 50km to the East of Palmyra.

Meantime, the Syrian army and popular forces have captured 110 square kilometers of lands in their push in the Eastern part of Homs province in the last two days.

"The Syrian army and the NDF continued pounding ISIS positions near Palmyra, and established full control over Syriatel hill near Palmyra Castle," an army source said.

Battlefield reports from Homs province said terrorists have sustained heavy casualties in the Syrian army and popular forces' continued and large-scale operations against ISIS's concentration centers on Friday.

The Russian fighter jets carried out tens of combat sorties over ISIS's defense lines in regions around Palmyra.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the country's warplanes hit 146 terrorist targets around Palmyra in Homs province from March 20 to March 23, stressing that more than 300 terrorists were also killed during the operations.

"From March 20 to March 23 Russian Air and Space Forces conducted 41 sorties around Palmyra, Homs province, hitting 146 military terrorist targets. Six command centers, 320 terrorists, five tanks, six artillery systems, two ammunition depots and 15 vehicles were destroyed," defense ministry said.

The Syrian soldiers, backed by the NDF, Hezbollah fighters and Syrian-Russian Air backup, are marching on ISIS concentration centers in Homs province to take back control over Palmyra, leaving hundreds of Takfiri terrorists dead or injured.

Damascus

Residents of suburban areas near the Syrian capital are returning home after the army and popular forces purged the entire region of Takfiri terrorists and reestablished security.

Residents of the Damascus suburbs, which have been cleaned of Takfiri terrorists, began returning to their homes in large numbers.

"You can say the numbers are impressive, it is clear that civilians are returning to their homes. The fact that Russia delivers timely humanitarian assistance plays an important role, everyone is grateful to the Russian people," Maj. Gen. Aleksander Linkov said on Friday.

The militant groups have sustained heavy loss and damage in the Syrian-Russian ground and air force's nonstop assaults across the Arab country in recent months and retreated from vast areas of lands all throughout the country.

Military sources said the Syrian Army and their allies have established full control over strategic hills in Eastern Ghouta region in Damascus province after heavy clashes with the al-Nusra terrorists in the region.

"The Syrian Army alongside popular forces managed to push back the militant groups' defenses in Marj region in Eastern Ghouta province, and seized full control over the strategic Tal al-Frat region.

Meanwhile, humanitarian aid packages were distributed in at least three towns in the Southern parts of Damascus province to provide humanitarian relief to the beleaguered civilians living inside the war-torn area.

According to a source in Damascus, the humanitarian relief convoy has delivered aid to the residents of three towns of Yalda, Babbila and Seyedi Meqdad in the Southern parts of Damascus province.

The humanitarian aid comprising 600 food packages and 200 packages which included toy for kids were delivered as a part of Russian support to the areas in Damascus province where peace and reconciliation are established.

Dara'a

Field sources in the Western parts of Syria's Dara'a province revealed intense infighting between a-Nusra Front terrorists and the ISIS-affiliated Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade group in the area.

During the clashes that have been underway all throughout the last week in the town Ain al-Zekr, both groups sustained significant casualties.

Also in another development in Dara'a, heavy clashes were reported between the two groups of the Free Syrian Army and Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade in Zizun and Tal Shahab.

In another development in Dara'a province, Jeish al-Islam terrorist group claimed on its pages in the social media that it has killed 40 ISIS militants during the clashes in al-Midrib West of Dara'a province, FNA reported.

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