The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) kicked off their east Sweida offensive on Monday, August 7, after completing their field operations in southwest Syria, Al-Masdar News says.

Backed by heavy airstrikes from the Russian Aerospace Forces the night before, the Syrian Arab Army and their allies began the day by liberating a large chunk of territory from the Islamic State forces.

According to a military communique from the Sweida Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army and their allies managed to liberate several hilltops near the Dyatheh and and Kara’ areas, forcing the Islamic State militants to fall back further into the desert.

Among the hilltops and points the Syrian Arab Army liberated from the Islamic State on Monday, were Tal Qasr, Ajeelat, and Dayatheh Water Wells.

A field source told Al-Masdar News that the Syrian Arab Army and their allies suffered at least a half dozen casualties, with four fighters from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) of Sweida suffering the highest death toll.

The four members of the SSNP were killed when an Islamic State militants detonated his suicide vest near their front-lines on Monday.