Syria regime forces have seized dozens of towns and villages in northwest Syria from their jihadist rivals following days of violent clashes, a war monitor said Sunday.
The fresh advances in Idlib province bring regime loyalists closer to capturing one of the largest urban centres in Syria's last major opposition bastion, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"This push is an attempt to get closer to Maaret al-Numan," Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.
The jihadist-dominated Idlib region hosts some three million people including many displaced by years of violence in other parts of Syria.
The Damascus regime has repeatedly vowed to take back the area and bombardment has continued despite a ceasefire announced in August.
Heightened regime and Russian bombardment on the Maaret al-Numan region since December 16 has forced tens of thousands of vulnerable people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.
The world body has called for "immediate de-escalation" and warned of further mass displacement if the violence continues.
Meanwhile, regime forces have blockaded the eighth Turkish observation outpost in the village of Sorman, rebels told Zaman al-Wasl.
Damascus loyalists have since Thursday been locked in battles with jihadists and allied rebels, seizing a total of 25 towns and villages from their control, according to the Observatory.
Four days of fighting have killed 103 militants as well as 71 regime loyalists, bringing the total toll to more than 170 dead on both sides, added the monitor, which is based in Britain and relies on an extensive network inside Syria.
The Idlib region is controlled by the country's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Pro-regime forces launched a blistering offensive against the region in April, killing around 1,000 civilians and displacing more than 400,000 people from their homes.
Since August, the area has supposedly been protected by a ceasefire announced by Moscow, but bombardments have continued.
Eight years of war in Syria have killed 560,000 people and driven half the pre-war population of 22 million from their homes, including more than 6 million as refugees to neighbouring countries.
AFP, Zaman Al Wasl
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