(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian armed opposition and jihadists on Monday retook five villages in northern Idlib province were seized by regime forces and allied militias in the day before, military source told Zaman al-Wasl.
Regime forces seized dozens of towns and villages on Sunday in the eastern countryside of Idlib where fierce clashes are still underway.
The ground assault by regime loyalists brings them closer to capturing Maaret al-Numan, one of the largest urban centres in Syria's last major opposition bastion.
Meanwhile, regime forces have blockaded the eighth Turkish observation outpost in the village of Sorman, rebels told Zaman al-Wasl.
The unprecedented aerial campaign of the regime and Russia has killed 50 civilians in a week and pushed more than 80,000 people to leave their homes towards the Turkish border.
The jihadist-dominated Idlib region hosts some three million people, including many displaced by years of violence in other parts of Syria.
The Assad 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 UN has called for "immediate de-escalation" and warned of further mass displacement if the violence continues.
Regime 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 Syrian Observatory for human Rights.
Four days of fighting has 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.
Russia and China on Friday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have extended for a year cross-border aid deliveries to four million Syrians, many of them in Idlib.
The move raised fears that UN-funded assistance could stop entering opposition-held parts of Syria from January unless an alternative agreement is reached.
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
Zaman Al Wasl
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