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Following a series of setbacks under the pressure of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) in northern Hama, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) achieved their first sucess south of Mushrifa.
According to pro-government sources, the SAA and the NDF retook the hill of Um Khazim and entered in Um Turaikiya where intense fighting erupted.
Um Khazim, Um Turaikiya, Balil and some nearby points were lost to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies earlier this week. The Syrian military even said that militants had used chemical weapons in the area.
Jaish al-Izza, one of the allied militant groups of HTS, released a video showing yesterday’s clashes:
