...Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam) was established by Zahran Alloush, the son of Saudi-based religious scholar Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, after Syrian authorities released him from prison in mid-2011 where he had been serving time for his Salafist activism. The group claimed responsibility for carrying out the July 2012 Damascus bombing that killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. It was a driving force behind actions in the Damascus region. It cooperated and conducted joint operations with al-Nusra. In Sptember 2013 Saudi Arabia engineered Liwa al-Islam's merger with fifty other more or less Salafist groups as a counterweight to al-Nusra, which the Learned Elders of Islam considered was growing too powereful...(Army of Islam).
Led by the 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard, the Syrian Armed Forces renewed their offensive near al-Reyhan today after repelling the Jaish al-Islam counter-assault on Sunday morning.
Minutes ago, the 105th Brigade and their allies captured the Reyhan Cemetery amid Jaish al-Islam's collapsing defenses at the town's entrance.
Following the capture of the Reyhan Cemetery, the Syrian Armed Forces advanced to the local school and mosque inside the town, forcing Jaish al-Islam to fortify their last-line of defense in order to avoid being overrun.
If the Syrian Armed Forces capture the local school, the entire town will likely fall minutes shortly after.
In addition to this assault, the Syrian Armed Forces are also attacking al-Reyhan from the eastern flank, targeting the Ibn Sina'a Hospital (now rebel base) from the nearby Signal Base.
Making matters worse for Jaish al-Islam, the Syrian Armed Forces are also attacking the Industrial Area that is located in the vicinity of Tal Kurdi.
Jaish al-Islam is on their last leg in al-Reyhan; if they fail to hold this town, they will be forced to withdraw from nearby Tal Kurdi.