Hay’at Tahrir al-sham (HTS) and US-backed Jaish al-Izza shelled government positions and residential areas in the villages of Qamhana and Mahardeh in the Hama countryside. Militants also used mortar shells and missiles to target the villages of Al-Mesherfeh and al-Zara in the northern Homs countryside. No casualties were reported in the both cases.
Pro-opposition sources reported on April 6 that some commander of the Syrian Arab Army was killed during the recent clashes in Hama without mentioning his name.
Clashes continued in Maardes that remained conteseted between pro-government forces and HTS militants. However, clashes in Maardes and Halfaya noticeably calmed down compared to yesterday’s fighting. Both sides are regrouping their forces and deploy additional pieces of military equipment.
The situation could also become more calm bause of a undeclared truce relating to the evacuation of civilians from Foaa and Kefraya in Idlib’s countryside. This move is set to be allowed by militants in return to the evacuation of civilians and militants from Zabadani in the Damascus countryside that will supposedly begin by the end of this week. Nonetheless, this version looks questionable.
From its side, HTS targeted civilians in Fou’a and Kafraya with more than 30 projectiles on April 6. Local forces defending the villages responded with a counter-battery hitting militant positions near Ta’um and Sawwaghiya.
The Russian and Syrian air forces and SAA artillery units continue targeting HTS-led forces in the northern Hama countryside preluding the expected offensive operations in both Ma’ardes and Helfaya. On April 7, government forces will likely make another push to regain some of these areas from HTS militants.
Photos released by HTS’ media wing:
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
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