Syrian troops stay "vigilant and wary" to thwart terrorist acts

Syria's Defense Minister Fahed al-Jassem stressed Thursday that the Syrian troops are determined to eliminate the terrorists whenever located on Syrian soil, according to the state news agency SANA.

"The Syrian troops today are more capable and more determined to fight terrorists and eliminate them no matter how varied and numerous the support that has been rendered to them by different forces, on top of which is the Zionist enemy," Fahed al-Jassem told a unit of the Syrian troops while surveying the readiness of the Syrians troops in southern Syria.

He stressed the need for the Syrian troops to stay "vigilant and wary" to thwart any chance the terrorists could take to commit terrorist acts.

The defense minister's remarks come as the rebels in the eastern rim of the capital Damascus rained down the Mazzeh 86, a government-loyal neighborhood, with around 12 mortar shells on Thursday, leaving unknown number of causalities, according to local press.

The rebels have intensified their mortar attacks in the last 24 hours in retaliation against the government troops shelling of rebel-held areas around Damascus. Endit