A detachment of the Syrian army, surrounded by the town of Harast in the north-east of Damascus, surrendered to militants. This is reported by local media.
"Ahrar al-Sham" and "Failak Ar-Rahman" groups operate in the region. They managed to turn the city and its environs into a well-fortified stronghold in East Gut.
The city also has a base of armored vehicles of the Syrian army, but it was cut off from supply on land and is under siege.
Continuous attacks by militants in the past week have led to large losses among government troops: reports of 100 dead, including several generals and colonels. In this case, the militants themselves claim 400 dead enemies.
The Syrian command is preparing a large-scale operation to free the base. In the meantime, the position of the militants regularly bomb the Syrian Air Force with the support of the Russian Air Force.