(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime forces captured new ground in coastal Latakia province from opposition forces in counterattack launched early Friday, rebel commander told Zaman al-Wasl.
Senior commander in the First Coastal Division said regi;e forces backed by heavy aerial bombing had advanced in Jabal al-Akrad, forcing rebels to retreat from the village of Ein Qantara and Rasha and al-Malek hilltops.
Bashar al-Assad forces have carried out numerous attacks to capture the strategic mountainous areas of Jabal al-Akrad and Jabal al-Turkman as well to cut supply route with Turkey.
With Friday's gains, Assad forces have recaptured most territory they lost to favor of rebels 6 weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the United States and Russia early Saturday announced a breakthrough agreement on Syria that foresees a nationwide cease-fire starting on Monday, followed a week later by an unlikely new military partnership targeting the Islamic State and al-Qaida as well as new limits on Assad's forces.
After a daylong final negotiating session in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said shortly after midnight Saturday that the plan could reduce violence in Syria and lead to a long-sought political transition, ending more than five years of bloodshed. He called the deal a potential "turning point" in a conflict that has killed as many as 500,000 people, if complied with by Syria's Russian-backed regime and U.S.-supported rebel groups.
The cease-fire begins at sundown Sept. 12, Kerry said, coinciding with the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.
Assad's regime appeared to tighten its siege of the former Syrian commercial hub in the last several days, seizing several key transit points. Forty days of fighting in Aleppo has killed nearly 700 civilians, including 160 children, according to a Syrian human rights group. (With Reuters)
Senior commander in the First Coastal Division said regi;e forces backed by heavy aerial bombing had advanced in Jabal al-Akrad, forcing rebels to retreat from the village of Ein Qantara and Rasha and al-Malek hilltops.
Bashar al-Assad forces have carried out numerous attacks to capture the strategic mountainous areas of Jabal al-Akrad and Jabal al-Turkman as well to cut supply route with Turkey.
With Friday's gains, Assad forces have recaptured most territory they lost to favor of rebels 6 weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the United States and Russia early Saturday announced a breakthrough agreement on Syria that foresees a nationwide cease-fire starting on Monday, followed a week later by an unlikely new military partnership targeting the Islamic State and al-Qaida as well as new limits on Assad's forces.
After a daylong final negotiating session in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said shortly after midnight Saturday that the plan could reduce violence in Syria and lead to a long-sought political transition, ending more than five years of bloodshed. He called the deal a potential "turning point" in a conflict that has killed as many as 500,000 people, if complied with by Syria's Russian-backed regime and U.S.-supported rebel groups.
The cease-fire begins at sundown Sept. 12, Kerry said, coinciding with the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.
Assad's regime appeared to tighten its siege of the former Syrian commercial hub in the last several days, seizing several key transit points. Forty days of fighting in Aleppo has killed nearly 700 civilians, including 160 children, according to a Syrian human rights group. (With Reuters)
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