Two Russian officers and several regime troops were killed Tuesday when Free Syrian Army struck a military barrack with anti-tank missile in the northern countryside of Hama province, according to statement posted online.
The missile attack hit Rahbat Khattab, a strategic regime bastion in Hama, as skirmishes between FSA and regime have been mounted in the last few weeks.
on Monday killed 9 fighters loyal to Bashar al-Assad in the southern countryside of Hama province, rebel commander told Zaman al-Wasl.
10 more militants were wounded in the surprise attack on checkpoints near Salamiya town. Rebel said they had seized control of 6 checkpoints and Dallak and al-Mzairaa villages.
The regime army regained the strategic town of Soran near the city of Hama on Sunday with an assault backed by heavy Russian air strikes, rebels and residents said.
Most of the rebels had retreated from the town after troops stormed it following dozens of strikes by jets believed to be Russian since dawn, including so-called parachute bombs that also targeted other towns in the area, including Latamneh and Kafr Zeita.
The regime army was aided by Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias who had supported the over-stretched government forces, rebels say.
Early this week, FSA pounded strategic military airport of Hama city with more than 40 Grad rockets, leaving huge losses.
Hama military airport is not operating due to heavy surface-to-surface rockets attack, source told Zaman al-Wasl.
Videos downloaded on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from a distance.
Jaish al-Naser, key moderate rebel group operating in northern Hama countryside, adopted the attack, that pushed regime and Russia to deport advanced helicopters to Shayrat airfield in central Homs province.
Meanwhile, rebels still hold the strategic town of Morek, north of Hama city. It lies on a major north-south highway crucial to control of western Syria
