On Wednesday morning in the Hama Governorate’s southern countryside, the Syrian Arab Army’s 47th Brigade of the 11th Tank Division – in close coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) – renewed their Orontes River offensive by striking the Islamist rebel defenses at the imperative villages of Al-Zarrah and Harbinfseh near the Homs Governorate’s northern border.
The Syrian Arab Army’s 47th Brigade and their allies began the day by seizing the northern neighborhoods of Harbinfseh after a violent battle with the Islamist rebels of Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group), Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham (largest Islamist/rebel group), and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
Following their advance at Harbinfseh, the Syrian Armed Forces finally broke into the village of Al-Zarrah at the northern bank of the Orontes River; this assault resulted in the death of several enemy combatants from Jabhat Al-Nusra, the Free Syrian Army, and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham before nightfall on Wednesday.
According to a military source inside the city of Hama, the Syrian Armed Forces have seized the southern entrance of Al-Zarrah and they are currently pushing north in order to capture the remaining neighborhoods inside the village.
Currently, both of the aforementioned villages are contested; however, they are both likely to be captured by the Syrian Armed Forces in teh coming days, as the Islamist rebels struggle to maintain their ground near the Homs border.