BEIRUT — Government forces and their allies advanced Monday in the central province of Hama under the cover of intense airstrikes, approaching the outskirts of a rebel-held town a day after capturing a strategic town from opposition fighters and militants, Syria’s state media and opposition activists said.
The push toward the town of Tibet al-Imam came a day after troops and pro-government militiamen captured the town of Soran, a month after Soran was lost in a rebel offensive. The government appears to be aiming to secure areas north of the city of Hama, the country’s fourth largest.
Insurgents, including members of al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee, launched a wide offensive on parts of Hama province last month capturing several villages and towns. The government launched a wide counteroffensive under the cover of Russian and Syrian airstrikes regaining control of the whole area lost and pushing ahead toward other villages.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian air force jets had conducted nearly 25 airstrikes on Tibet al-Imam and nearby villages since midnight.
Syrian state news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that troops are now at the eastern entrance of Tibet al-Imam after capturing nearby hills under the cover of intense bombardment.
