Monitor: Syrian Regime Captures Strategic Town in Idlib

Rescuers search for survivors after a Syrian regime air strike on Kfar Ruma town in Idlib province on May 30, 2019. via AFP
Rescuers search for survivors after a Syrian regime air strike on Kfar Ruma town in Idlib province on May 30, 2019. via AFP
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Monitor: Syrian Regime Captures Strategic Town in Idlib

Rescuers search for survivors after a Syrian regime air strike on Kfar Ruma town in Idlib province on May 30, 2019. via AFP
Rescuers search for survivors after a Syrian regime air strike on Kfar Ruma town in Idlib province on May 30, 2019. via AFP

Syrian regime forces captured on Sunday a northwestern village from militants after clashes that left more than a dozen killed on both sides, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syrian troops captured Msheirfeh after clashes with insurgents that left some of them killed or wounded, state news agency SANA reported.

The Britain-based monitor said the village was taken by regime forces in fighting that left six troops and nine insurgents dead.

The Syrian regime launched a four-month offensive earlier this year against the country’s last opposition stronghold in Idlib Province, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The offensive forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

A fragile ceasefire halted the advance at the end of August, but in recent weeks it has been repeatedly violated.

In eastern Syria, a mine left behind since the days of ISIS in the village of Taybeh killed a child and wounded 17 others in a school field, according to SANA.

The Observatory said the blast in the village in Deir el-Zour Province killed five children and wounded others.

Mines left behind by the extremist group have killed or maimed scores of people over the past months.

ISIS lost the last area it controlled in Syria in March marking the end of its self-declared caliphate, AP reported.



Fierce Fighting in Syria's Manbij as Tensions Rise in Homs, Coastal Areas

Men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of ousted president Bashar Assad are detained by members of the new security forces during an operation in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of ousted president Bashar Assad are detained by members of the new security forces during an operation in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Fierce Fighting in Syria's Manbij as Tensions Rise in Homs, Coastal Areas

Men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of ousted president Bashar Assad are detained by members of the new security forces during an operation in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of ousted president Bashar Assad are detained by members of the new security forces during an operation in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Syria’s new authorities are cracking down on former regime cells in Alawite neighborhoods in Homs and coastal areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

At the same time, heavy fighting broke out in northern Syria’s Manbij between Turkish-backed groups and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to the UK-based monitor.

The Observatory reported that at least 28 Türkiye-backed fighters were killed in the clashes, and Turkish forces heavily shelled SDF-held areas.

The SDF accused Turkish-backed forces of launching a major assault on villages near Manbij, but said they had repelled the attacks around the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River.

Türkiye wants to expel the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, claiming they are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group designated as terrorist.

At the same time, tensions have been increasing in the Alawite-majority neighborhoods of Homs as authorities conduct raids for former regime members, with effects spreading to the coastal areas.

In Tartus, about 50 community leaders representing various religious and social groups met with political officials from Syria’s military leadership. During the four-hour meeting, they expressed concerns about the coastal region, home to many former regime supporters.

The discussion focused on maintaining peace and unity in Syria, especially in the coastal areas, following updates on the political and international situation.

Lara Aizouqi, moderator of a press session organized by the Stabilization Support Unit (SSU), told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting included a wide range of local community members from various religious and social groups, as well as political representatives from Syria's military leadership.

Aizouqi said the community’s main demand was security.

A proposal was made to create local protection committees, allowing each area to safeguard itself and prevent chaos, with a commitment to handing over wanted individuals in exchange for guarantees against reprisals.