Syria: Army has closed in on Aleppo and Palmyra - Army spokesperson

Syrian Army spokesperson Ali Muaeeb announced that the military has regained control of more than 250 km (155 miles) of Aleppo countryside, speaking at a press conference in Latakia, Thursday. Muaeeb told the press that Syrian army units "have made important gains towards the city of Palmyra in the Bayyarat area and imposed huge losses in armour and fighters. They have destroyed 6 armoured vehicles and killed 25 militants west of the storage around the town of Mheen." The Syrian army spokesperson added "our operations were marked with precision, elements of surprise and high quality manoeuvres. The losses of the terrorist groups in the past 48 hours have been big in numbers and weapons. The Syrian Arab Army operations are non-stop and the only guarantee for security. The army urges the citizens in the areas of operations to stay in their homes and to stay away from the areas with the whereabouts of the terrorists. He finished his statement by underlining that most of the killed terrorists "were of non-Syrian nationalities in Daria in western Ghouta."