The Syrian government has deployed extra soldiers to prevent rebels from moving farther into Hama province.
The Syrian military ordered reinforcements on Sunday to stem the march of Islamic militants in Hama province. Furthermore, the rebels seized the majority of Aleppo and some adjacent towns. Also in a surprise attack that poses a big challenge to Syria’s dictatorial leader, Bashar Assad.
The current rebel attack, led by Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), marks a significant escalation in Syria’s long-running civil conflict. This has experienced relatively low-level violence since Assad reclaimed control of two-thirds of the country three years ago with the assistance of allies Russia and Iran.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued to hit rebel strongholds. They are targeting cities and villages in the north western province of Idlib and the central province of Hama. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based opposition war monitor. Syrian anti-Assad militants advance toward Aleppo.
Government pushback
The Observatory, which relies on a network of eyewitnesses in Syria, said the troops had built a “strong defensive line” in the countryside north of Hama.
According to Syrian state news agency SANA and the Observatory, the army successfully pushed out militants in the region overnight.
Syrian state media stated that government forces had killed approximately 1,000 insurgents in the last three days, but provided no evidence for this claim. The Syrian government has deployed extra soldiers to prevent rebels from moving farther into Hama province.
According to the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas, government airstrikes on Idlib city, a rebel-held stronghold near Hama province 65 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Aleppo, wounded four civilians and injured 54 others overnight. Courtesy of tj/wmr (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
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