Illustrative image An intense fighting between government forces and Ahrar al-Sham is ongoing in the Armoured Vehicle Base area in Damascus’ Eastern Ghouta. The base is located near the town of Harasta. Ahrar al-Sham, supported by some units of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched a new offensive on positions of the Syrian Army in the area on December 29. Since then, the sides have been clashing for control over this strategic facility. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) had repelled a major part of militant attacks and remained in control over the base. However, militants were able to capture some points in its vicinity. Some pro-militant media outlets even claimed that the base was fully encircled and separated from the rest of the government-held area. However, these reports were not confirmed. On January 1, reports appeared that the Syrian military had decided to deploy reinforcements to the area in order to stabilize the situation there. It’s important to note that Ahrar al-Sham r