Rebels take back kafr Nabuda town in Hama despite Russian air strikes

Russian jets carried out at least 30 air strikes on the town of Kafr Nabuda and hundreds of shells hit the area as the Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters seized part of it, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Kafr Nabuda's capture would bring government forces closer to insurgent-held positions along the main highway that links Syria's main cities. "The town is very important and strategic," Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Observatory, told Reuters.

Militias loyal to Bashar al-Assad have in the past few days recaptured territory close to the government's coastal heartland in the west thanks to Russia's intervention, reversing rebel advances made earlier this year.

Reuters said early Monday that Syrian regime army and allied forces supported by Russian warplanes made further advances as they pressed an offensive against insurgents on Monday, in the fiercest clashes for nearly a week.

Army of Conquest, dominant rebel group northwest Syria, said 30  regime troopers have been killed in the underway clashes, assuring that its fighters have repelled regime army attack in Ghab plain and in the western countryside of Hama province despite reports saying regime has reclaimed territory.

More than 30 tanks and 20 armored vehicles were destroyed since the offensive started last week, according to rebel commanders.

Moscow says its air campaign targets Islamic State, but most of the strikes have hit rival insurgent groups fighting against Assad, some of which are supported by the United States.

104 people, including 25 children and 15 women,  have been killed in Russian air strike since September 30, the Syrian Network for Human Rights Reported.

"These are the most violent battles in the northern countryside (of Hama) since the start of joint operations several days ago" between the Russian air force and Syrian ground forces, the  Observatory told Reuters said.