Syrian militants said on Thursday they had entered parts of the central city of Hama after three days of intense clashes with government forces on its outskirts, part of an ongoing offensive in which they captured Syria’s largest city Aleppo.
Anti-government forces commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said on the Military Operations Command’s Telegram channel that the militants were advancing “in several directions within Hama city and towards the city centre.”
The Syrian Defence Ministry wrote on Facebook about “fierce fighting” in Hama province, but called information about the breakthrough of the city’s defences untrue. The militants suffered “heavy losses in manpower and equipment,” the ministry said.
In late November, formations of the extremist group Jebhat al-Nusra violated the de-escalation agreement and carried out a large-scale attack in northern Syria. They attempted to attack military facilities, villages and towns in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The Syrian army has begun repelling the attack. According to the state TV channel Al Akhbar, the military destroyed more than 1.6 thousand terrorists.
Five militant headquarters were eliminated with the support of the Russian Armed Forces. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the republic intends to defend its territorial integrity and is determined to eliminate terrorist groups. Damascus has already been supported by the UAE and Iranian authorities.
