Syrian government has forbidden foreign media from entering the area, the moment the offensive in Eastern Ghouta began.

Since Sunday, elite units of the Syrian army (primarily The Tiger forces and the Syrian Republican Guards) have retaken several towns from rebels. Towns like Nashabia, Otaya, Zreika and Hosh Al-Salhia allowed the army to take over roughly 30 percent of what recently have been rebel heartland.

Tel Ferzat is one of the most important strategic locations the army has recently regained. From this region, the army will be in a better position to use artillery against rebels. The rebels have fortified their positions and mobilized fighters in the area for the past six years.

It is unclear whether the army will be able to break through rebel defense lines as swiftly as it has done in the first weeks of its offensive. The fighting in Ghouta has been very costly for the army, the rebels and the civilian population. Regardless, army officers say they are determined to take back the entire region. Retaking the position just east of Damascus would diminish the rebel-posed threat to the capital.