170: Chapter 170 The Conquest of Rashidiye

Leader Tara immediately ordered the mobilization of the Opposition Armed Forces, launching separate offensives against Shadadi and Abay.

The initial offensive went smoothly, and they quickly occupied a significant amount of territory, but once the Syrian army reacted, they were immediately met with a head-on blow.

After all, the Syrian army originally attacking Shadadi and Abay consisted of 4 Mechanized Infantry Brigades. Although they suffered some losses in troop numbers after occupying these two places, their overall strength had not been significantly weakened.

It was only because they were initially unprepared for the counterattack by the Opposition Armed Forces that the Opposition Armed Forces achieved some results. However, after reacting quickly, they organized effective units to launch a tit-for-tat attack.

The shortage of troops in the Opposition Armed Forces was exposed at this moment. Their advance routes were quickly blocked by the Syrian army, and multiple charges failed to break the defense line, forcing them to retreat in disgrace.

Leader Tara was very disappointed to learn that the Opposition Armed Forces attacking Shadadi and Abay had not achieved the expected results, and he felt somewhat pessimistic about the situation in Rashidiyah.

Could the Opposition Armed Forces really not hold Rashidiyah? He hoped for a negative answer, but the development of the situation did not give him any hope.

Major General Zaha was very satisfied with the progress of the attack on Rashidiyah. On one hand, he ordered the various Mechanized Infantry Brigades to continue strengthening their offensive posture; on the other hand, he provided ample ammunition supplies to the various units.

As long as the ammunition supply was timely, Major General Zaha believed that taking Rashidiyah would be a breeze.

Lieutenant General Green was also monitoring the situation in Rashidiyah, as it concerned the future of the Hera Joint Military Base.

If Rashidiyah were occupied by the Syrian army, the hope of holding the Hera Joint Military Base would be slim; but if Rashidiyah remained unoccupied, then the Hera Joint Military Base would remain as solid as a rock.

He could only encourage Leader Tara, demanding that the Opposition Armed Forces commit more troops to Rashidiyah while simultaneously mobilizing more light weapons to aid the Opposition Armed Forces, hoping that the Opposition Armed Forces would hold out longer, ideally causing the Syrian army to abandon the idea of attacking Rashidiyah.

Both sides were constantly increasing their commitment of troops and weaponry, but the Syrian army did not receive more reinforcements and remained with the units originally responsible for the attack.

However, in the eyes of Major General Zaha, the number of these troops was still sufficient.

As soon as the Opposition Armed Forces' manpower was mostly exhausted, Major General Zaha would immediately assemble 2 Mechanized Infantry Brigades to commit to the Rashidiyah battlefield, delivering a final blow to the Opposition Armed Forces, completely defeating them, and occupying Rashidiyah.

The battle dragged on day by day, and the struggle between the two sides continued at every moment.

Sometimes, the Syrian army would occupy a street during the day, only for the Opposition Armed Forces to potentially recapture it at night by organizing more troops.

However, such incidents did not happen often; it was only because the Syrian army had not yet established a firm foothold that the Opposition Armed Forces seized the opportunity to raid their unfortified defensive positions, leading to the temporary fall of the front line.

Of course, such fighting also caused massive losses for both sides; the Opposition Armed Forces had already lost over 35,000 troops, while the Syrian army had also lost over 8,000 personnel.

The Syrian army lost more in terms of weaponry and equipment, and the ammunition consumed was countless.

General Faraj was also paying close attention to the battle in Rashidiyah and was satisfied with the progress of the Syrian army's offensive. After all, a significant portion of the Opposition Armed Forces' strength had been concentrated here, and now more than half of their troops had been depleted; the dawn of victory would soon be visible.

Now it was just a matter of seeing who could hold out until the end, and whose troops and weaponry would be exhausted first. As long as the Opposition Armed Forces showed signs of weakness, General Faraj believed that Major General Zaha would immediately break the stalemate and launch the final offensive against the Opposition Armed Forces.

As more troops advanced into Rashidiyah, the Syrian army gradually gained a numerical advantage, compressing the Opposition Armed Forces into a smaller area.

At this point, Major General Zaha had also assembled 2 Mechanized Infantry Brigades that arrived in Rashidiyah, and without delay, they were immediately committed to the battle.

Due to the addition of fresh troops, the Syrian army's offensive firepower was greatly strengthened, making their strikes against the Opposition Armed Forces' defensive fortifications more precise and thorough.

In just one day, half of the streets in Rashidiyah were occupied by the Syrian army.

Subsequently, Major General Zaha issued an order requiring 7 Mechanized Infantry Brigades and 3 artillery battalions to immediately and rapidly eliminate the Opposition Armed Forces in Rashidiyah and end the battle as soon as possible.

Suddenly, it was as if the Syrian army had been injected with adrenaline; regardless of day or night, regardless of the time, they continuously shelled the Opposition Armed Forces whenever possible and advanced with armored vehicles whenever possible, fully utilizing their firepower advantage to rapidly contend for every single street.

Because the Opposition Armed Forces had already depleted more than half of their troops, they were already short on defensive manpower. Coupled with the massive consumption of weapons and ammunition and problems with resupply, they were completely unable to organize effective resistance against the Syrian offensive.

In less than three days, they completely collapsed. The number of surrenders increased, and many more officers and soldiers fled. The Syrian army pressed on in one go, successfully occupying Rashidiyah and achieving the recapture of Rashidiyah.

Upon seeing that Rashidiyah had been occupied, Major General Zaha ordered 3 Mechanized Infantry Brigades to begin mopping up the remaining enemies in Rashidiyah, while other units launched a pursuit to eliminate the fleeing Opposition Armed Forces.

At this time, the Syrian army in several other locations also launched offensives against the towns occupied by the Opposition Armed Forces. More and more towns were recaptured, and the front line gradually approached the Hera Joint Military Base.

As for whether to immediately attack the Hera Joint Military Base, Major General Zaha rejected the idea from the start.

The Syrian army had just finished a very brutal battle and could not immediately be thrown into a new fight.

Moreover, the USA still had a significant number of troops at the Hera Joint Military Base, and their weapons and equipment were more substantial than those of the Opposition Armed Forces; wanting to take the Hera Joint Military Base immediately was not very realistic.

Major General Zaha had the Syrian army halt their offensive 25 kilometers away from the Hera Joint Military Base, immediately switching to building defensive positions to cope with any potential changes.

The Syrian army in other areas also halted their advance not far from the USA's military bases and switched to defense; they would have to wait at least until all the Mechanized Infantry Brigades had completed their rest and reorganization before considering launching a new round of offensives.