al-Baydah al-Gharbiyah. On 7 February, ISIL recaptured the Hayyan gas fields. On 10 February, the Army recaptured the Hayyan Hills. On 11 February, ISIL recaptured the Majbel Asphalt area along with several surrounding points near the Hajjar crossroads. including the Hayyan Hills. On 13 February, the Army resumed its offensive, attacking ISIL and attempted to recapture all of the Hayyan Hills. On the next day, the Army broke through ISIL's defenses and recaptured the Hayyan gas fields. On 16 February, the Syrian Army entered the Jihar Gas Fields and clashed with ISIL fighters. ISIL recaptured several wells in the Hayyan gas fields. On the same day, Russian forces suffered their first casualties, when a vehicular column from the Tiyas airbase to Homs was blown up by a remote-controlled IED, killing four Russian soldiers and wounding two others, including Major General Pyotr Milyukhin who lost both legs and an eye. By this point, the Army was within of Palmyra. On 17 February, the Army captured the Eastern Bayarat area. They also captured Al-Kalaabiyah Farms during the day, reasserting complete control over Western Bayarat. An ISIL counterattack on Hayyan gas fields was repelled. On 18 February, the Army captured the Tarfah Al-Gharbiyah area and imposed full control over the Hayyan gas fields while pushing to the outskirts of Jazal Mountains. On the next day, they attacked the Jazal and al-Mahr oil fields and captured several of ISIL's final positions in eastern part of Al-Bayarat. On 20 February, it was reported to have captured Tarfah al-Sharqiyah. The SAA resumed the offensive on 23 February, after pausing it to reinforce its positions at the Hayyan Gas Fields. The Syrian Army advanced towards the Driving School area of Palmyra during the day. On 24 February, the Syrian Army captured the Palmyra communications tower in the Eastern Bayarat area, after a short battle with the retreating Islamic State forces, and reached Jabal Hayyal mountain, overlooking Palmyra. On 26 February, it captured the hill of Tal SyriaTel, imposing fire control over Al-Mahr gas fields. It later captured the highest point of Jabbal Hayyal, giving it fire control over the Palmyra Triangle area as well as southwestern part of the city itself. It also captured the Quarries area to the northwest of the city. It also advanced and captured the quarries and all points overlooking al-Mahr oil fields. On the next day, it captured an adjacent point from