Syrian Forces Regain Ground, Stopping Rebel Progress in Hama Amid Intense Combat
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Damascus, Dec 1 (NationPress) Syrian government forces initiated a counteroffensive in the northern countryside of Hama province in central Syria, recovering vital territories from rebel factions after several days of fierce combat, as reported by state media and a war monitoring organization on Sunday.
Syrian army units enhanced their defensive positions overnight with additional firepower, personnel, and equipment, effectively thwarting assaults by terrorist groups and preventing any breaches, stated the Syrian Defense Ministry, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
"Our armed forces successfully secured multiple areas after driving out the terrorists, particularly Qalaat al-Madiq and Maardas, resulting in the deaths of dozens of them while the remaining combatants fled," the ministry added.
State-run Syrian television indicated that around 1,000 militants from the militant organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its affiliates were killed over the past three days during the military's operations.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitoring group, confirmed that government forces have sent significant reinforcements in recent hours.
Beginning early Sunday morning, warplanes executed a series of airstrikes targeting regions around Mork, Khan Sheikhoun, Kafr Nabl, Hazarin, and Tal Kokba in the northwestern province of Idlib and northern Hama areas recently captured by the HTS. No immediate casualty reports have been noted.
The Observatory noted that the extensive airstrikes have stalled the advancement of rebel factions in the Hama countryside.
The militant group HTS and its allied opposition factions had advanced in Hama in central Syria on Saturday, gaining control over numerous towns and villages in the northern section of the province.
