(Zaman Al Wasl- Reuters)- Syrian regime warplanes on Sunday have bombed towns in the countryside north of Aleppo, which the Syrian military is seeking to recapture from a mix of insurgent groups, Reuters reported.
Last week the Syrian army made a new advance on Aleppo, seizing three villages north of the city and threatening rebel supply lines in a potentially major reversal.
Bashar al-Assad's army has intensified an offensive in the heavily-populated western areas of Syria as U.S.-led warplanes concentrate on areas in the north and east -- Islamic State areas which Damascus sees as less important.
Clashes took place between the Syrian army and Islamic State around Kowaires military airbase in Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, after Assad’s warplanes carried out raids around it, Reuters reported.
In the industrial city of Sheikh Najjar, northeast of Aleppo, Islamist groups including al Qaeda's Nusra Front fought with government forces backed by pro-Assad militias and fighters from Shi'ite Lebanese group Hezbollah, the Observatory said.
Elsewhere in Syria insurgent forces made ground. Nusra Front and other Islamist groups captured a hilltop in southwest Syria from government forces on Sunday after two days of battles, the Observatory and pro-insurgent Twitter feeds reported.
The capture of al-Hara hill, close to the Israeli frontier, gives the Islamist insurgents the highest vantage point in the Deraa province and is a major blow to the Syrian military, said Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Observatory.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.