The offensive
On the morning of 11 February 2016, the Syrian Arab Army's 555th Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division, along with the National Defense Forces (NDF), Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade), Kataebat Al-Ba'ath (Al-Ba'ath Battalions), and Fouj Al-Joulan (Golani Regiment), launched an offensive eastward to recapture the Ithriyah-Raqqa Road that leads to the Tabqa Military Airport. They began their assault by storming Hill 5 along the Ithriyah-Raqqa Road, and after nearly 3 hours of fierce battle with ISIS, they were able to establish full control over three points in the eastern Hama desert: Hill 5, Tal Abu Zayn and a water well at the village of Tal Zakiyah. At this point, the Syrian Army was 45 kilometers from the Al-Tabqa air base. The next day, Syrian government forces advanced from Tal Abu Zayn, capturing Tal Madakhah hill. They had also reached Tal Zakiyah in the afternoon, thus entering the southern Raqqa countryside, and coming within 35 kilometers of the airbase. Meanwhile, west of Ithriyah, the military seized two villages along the Ithriya-Salamiyah Road, near Sheikh Hilal. On 13 February, government troops seized the Zakiyah crossroad, in southern Raqqa, while also further advancing in the Sheikh Hilal area. On 14 February, the Syrian Army seized Tal Masbah hill, 15 kilometers east of Ithriyah. ISIS fighters retreated towards the desert village of Jubb Al-Qutna. On 15 February, several hills around Zakiyah were also captured. On 17 February, the Army approached Marina, positioning themselves five kilometers west of the village, while fighting continued at Zakiyah. The next day, after an 8-hour battle that started in the early morning hours, government troops captured Tal Al-'Alam hill, four kilometers from Marina. Between 20 and 21 February, government forces captured two hills ("Point 4" and "Point 5"), near Zakiyah, and the village of Al-Massabah. On the evening of 21 February, ISIL launched two offensives with the aim of cutting the government's supply line that runs through Ithriyah. One of these was a large assault against the road running from Ithriyah towardsAftermath
On 2 June, the military announced the start of a new offensive from Ithriyah, with the aim of liberating Raqqa city.See also
* Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016) * Northern Aleppo offensive (2016) * East Aleppo offensive (2015–16)References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (February 2016-present) Military operations of the Syrian civil war in 2016 Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving Russia Raqqa Governorate in the Syrian civil war February 2016 in Syria March 2016 in Syria Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Syrian government