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On Friday, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) captured the strategic al-Shakousiyah village in the northeastern Hama countryside from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), according to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria.
From its side, the HTS-linked news agency Iba’a announced that HTS fighters destroyed a vehicle, and damaged a tank of the SAA with ATGMs near Umm Khazim Hill in the northeastern Hama countryside.
The US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) group Central Division, that’s allied to HTS also attacked the SAA and destroyed a tank of it with a TOW ATGM around al-Shakousiyah village.
NE. #Hama: #TOW strike by Central Division on static tank on Shahusiyah front. https://t.co/0NFZOPYGaB pic.twitter.com/X09eTXYibp
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) November 3, 2017
In the southwestern Aleppo countryside, HTS announced that it recaptured al-Rashidiya village and its hill. So, HTS recaptured most of the villages it lost near Mount al-Hass on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Syrian opposition sources reported that Russian warplanes conducted over 16 airstrike against HTS positions in Abu al-Duhur Airbase in the southwestern Aleppo countryside.
The Russian airstrikes indicate that Abu al-Duhur Airbase may be the main aim of the ongoing SAA military operations in the southwestern Aleppo countryside and northeastern Hama countryside.
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