DAMASCUS, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The general command of the Syrian army said in a statement on Saturday that reaching the Syrian-Iraqi borders constitutes a "turning point" in the war on terror.
It said the Syrian forces and allied troops have completed the first stage of the military operation in the Syrian Desert, by reaching the Syrian-Iraqi borders after battles with the Islamic State (IS) group.
During the operation, dubbed the Great Dawn, the Syrian army controlled many positions in the depth of the desert, according to the statement.
"This achievement constitutes a strategic turning point in the war on terror and a base for expanding the military operation in the desert and across the borders with Iraq and to tighten the noose on what's left of the IS terror groups," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the statement warned of the risks of the repetitive attacks by the U.S.-led coalition on Syrian military positions in the desert, saying such strikes aim to hinder the advance of the Syrian army in the war on IS.
The army and its allies of Hezbollah group recently unleashed their wide-scale offensive in the desert to clear a triangle of border areas between Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
The army units were struck twice by the U.S. coalition near the Tanf border crossing on the Syrian side of the borders.
The U.S. has forces there and warned the Syrian army away from it.
However, the army skirted around Tanf and reached the borders as the Iraqi forces reached its side of the borders.
