MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. Moscow notes stronger positive dynamics in the military and political situation in Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"We are glad to note stronger positive dynamics in the development of the military and political situation in the Syrian Arab Republic," the spokeswoman said.
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"This is a direct consequence of the implementation of the memorandum signed in Astana on May 4 by representatives of Russia, Iran and Turkey on creating de-escalation zones in Syria," the Russian diplomat said.
The Syrian army is successfully conducting combat operations in various provinces of the country, Zakharova said.
"The government forces are expanding the scope of their operation against militants of the Islamic State [terrorist grouping outlawed in Russia] in the east of the province of Aleppo and measures are continuing to eliminate terrorist groupings holding a whole number of areas in east Guta, and in the east of the province of Hama the militants are subjecting the city of Salamiyah to massive artillery bombardments," the Russian diplomat said.
"The terrorists are putting up fierce resistance to army units and trying to counter-attack, mining roads, infrastructure facilities, transport means and, the most horrible thing, holding demonstrative executions," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
The Russian diplomat also noted growing contradictions and clashes among terrorist groups.
"As the Syrian armed forces are conducting active offensive operations, contradictions are exacerbating among terrorist groupings themselves," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
"All this results in bloody clashes: radicals of the IS and Jabhat al-Nusra have clashed with each other and are conducting fierce battles among themselves in mountain gorges on the Syrian-Lebanese border, including in the area of West Kalamun," Zakharova said.
The Russian diplomat also dwelt on the situation around Raqqa.
"Units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) drove IS terrorists out of Khediran village west of the city of Raqqa, which allowed them to capture the northern part of the Al Hurriya Dam," the spokeswoman said.
"Upon agreement reached between the SDF command and IS leaders, jihadist groups are trying to leave in the southern direction the city of Raqqa blocked by forces from the west, the north and the east," the Russian diplomat said.
"One of such breakthrough attempts through the southern corridor towards Palmyra was thwarted the other day by the Russian air task force - it destroyed over a hundred IS terrorists, and also 32 pickups with large-caliber machine-guns mounted on them," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.