Syrian army nears Al-Qaeda stronghold in Hama

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a big offensive in the northeastern countryside of Hama earlier this week, targeting the large patch of territory controlled by the Al-Qaeda linked Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham terrorist group near the Ithriya-Khanasser Highway, Al-Masdar News.

Led by the Qalamoun Shield forces of the 3rd Division and 4th Mechanized Division, the Syrian Arab Army stormed this area north of Salamiyah City in a bid to secure their primary supply route to the Aleppo Governorate.

Since launching this offensive earlier this week, the Syrian Arab Army has captured several villages and towns in the Salamiyah countryside, inching their forces closer to the Al-Qaeda stronghold of Al-Rahjan.

Rahjan is a large town located directly west of the Ithriya-Khanasser Highway and just south of the Hama-Aleppo provincial axis; it is also the location of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s largest military base in the Hama Governorate.

On Friday, the Syrian Arab Army continued their rapid advance towards Rahjan, capturing several towns from Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham after breaking through their main line of defense east of the jihadist stronghold.

Among the several sites captured by the Syrian Army on Friday were the towns of Jubb Al-Ahmar, Jubb Al-Tablaqiyah, and Wadi Al-Zaroub.

As a result of their advances in northeast Hama, the Syrian Arab Army is now only two towns away from reaching the jihadist stronghold of Rahjan, which is their primary objective during this offensive.