PHOTO: Kurdish fighters advancing on Tel Hamis in northeast Syria this weekend

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Kurdish forces have reportedly their second town in two days from the Islamic State in eastern Syria.

On Friday, Kurds celebrated the capture of Tel Hamis in Hasakeh Province, on the route to the jihadist territory in northwest Iraq. Yesterday Kurdish activists said the YPG militia took Tel Brak, southwest of Tel Hamis.

Dozens of Islamic State fighters have been killed, according to the reports, with surviving jihadists retreating to other areas of Hasakeh Province.

The Kurdish victory continue a rapid reversal of Islamic State fortunes. At the start of last week, the jihadists were capturing villages along the Khabur River, taking hundreds of Assyrian Christians hostage or forcing them to flee.

Following the Islamic State’s failure to take the Kurdish center of Kobane near the Turkish border after a four-month offensive — with Kurdish forces supported by US-led airstrikes, Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga, and Free Syrian Army units — the setbacks for the jihadists are raising questions about their future “state” across eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

Meanwhile, Kurdish forces are hoping to take Tel Abyad, on the Turkish border, to join two of the three Kurdish cantons — Kobane and Jazira — in northern Syria.

Report: US-Backed Harakat Hazm Dissolves After In-Fighting With Jabhat al-Nusra

The US-backed rebel brigade Harakat Hazm has reportedly dissolved after months of in-fighting with the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra.

According to a brief statement, Harakat Hazm’s fighters have joined the rebel umbrella bloc Levant Front.

Harakat Hazm had clashed with Jabhat al-Nusra in northwest Syria since November, when the brigade tried to stop the Islamists from fighting another group, the Syrian Revolutionary Front.

Despite efforts by the Levant Front to broker the conflict, the in-fighting worsened in recent weeks, as each side accused the other of blocking supplies and kidnapping and even murdering fighters. After several of its members — including a commander — were reportedly detained and killed last week, Jabhat al-Nusra gave Harakat Hazm an ultimatum to give up its members for “trial”.

The Levant Front tried to broker a resolution with an independent court, but the effort failed. Instead, Jabhat al-Nusra defeated Harakat Hazm in fighting at a base outside the town of al-Atarib in Aleppo Province this weekend.

Rebels: Most Intense Regime Counter-Offensive To Date South of Damascus; Territory Swapped Back-and-Forth

Rebels have acknowledged the escalation of the regime’s counter-offensive south of Damascus, saying that air attacks since Thursday have been the heaviest since the surge began on February 7.

The Syrian military, with the involvement of Hezbollah and Iranian fighters, has been battling the rebels across a 20-km (12-mile) front in southern Damascus and northern Daraa Provinces. The initial push took some territory, including the town of Deir al-Addas but had been checked until last week when the aerial assault was stepped up.

The Free Syrian Army said the regime had pursued “scorched earth” tactics with rockets and shelling as well as bombing.

The Assad regime claims that it has taken villages such as Himrit, Sultaniyah, and al-Habariyah and the hill of Tel Fatima.

The Free Syrian Army acknowledged an initial tactical retreat from al-Habariya but said rebels had counter-attacked with ambushes. It claimed that Tel Fatima and the village were reclaimed, only for another pullback from al-Habariyah when ammunition ran short.

Iran’s Press TV, supporting the Assad regime, promotes gains by the Syrian military: