ISIS looks to be making yet more inroads in central Syria today, with reports that they have seized part of the highway between the cities of Homs and Palmyra, effectively cutting off the supply route to the ancient city of Palmyra.
The move comes less than a week after ISIS took over the Shaer gas field, in the same area to Palmyra’s northwest. The territory has all been reclaimed by the Syrian military over the past few months, including Palmyra itself, which was recovered only a little over a month ago.
Though this doesn’t necessarily mean Palmyra is facing an immediate siege, the move against the highway suggests that ISIS has designs on eventually threatening the city again, one of the few major cities they’ve lost in Syria so far this year.
It also puts a serious hole in the narrative that ISIS has lost all of its momentum and is facing imminent defeat, reflecting that despite recent pushes by several different factions across several different fronts, ISIS retains the capability to launch counterattacks and recover at least some lost ground.
Because the receive constant support of weapons, men, money via Turkey and from KSA, Israhell and other players (USA with double game) who do not want Assad to stay and want Syria to be balcanized.
Without the help of foreign states this posing as terrorists-mercenary-army couldn’t fight on for years!
It’s the only way the US is going to make any gains in Syria. And the cost to Russia could get to be prohibitive and Russia could lose it’s grip that is preventing allout US led war.
Except! It’s quite likely that China is going to come on board behind the scenes to fund Russia’s and China’s hold in Syria. It’s essential that it holds because Iran depends on it too, in order to keep the US at bay.
Or, it’s pretty likely that China is already doing their share to uphold their interests, along with Russia’s.