FILE IMAGE: Sputnik / Iliya Pitalev
Troops of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) have attacked positions of militant groups in the area near the administrative border between the provicnes of Hama and Idlib, the Syrian state-run media said on August 7.
According to reports, the SAA destroyed some number of militant fortified sites located at their supply lines leading from northern Hama to southern Idlib.
The strikes hit militant positions in the villages of Lahaya and al-Latamina, located about 35 km north of the city of Hama killing a number of militants and destroying their weapons and equipment.
On the same time, the SAA repelled a militant attack in the area near the village of al-Hayat in northern Latakia.
Earlier, the SAA deployed additional reinforcements in northern Latakia. These additional troops and equipment allowed government forces to strengthen their positions and to prepare for further military actions in the area.
Northern Latakia, southern Idlib and northern Hama remain the areas of a high level of activity of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and its allied groups. They use these areas to carry out attacks on government positions violating the de-escalation zone agreement reached in the framework of the Astana talks format.
