Despite Russian strikes, Syrian rebels hold ground

The town, in Idlib, is near the border with Hama province, and Assad’s troops and Hezbollah fighters have been battling to try to seize it as part of a campaign aimed at increasing protection to a string of Alawite-majority, pro-government towns in Hama.

Morek’s capture was a blow to the Russian-backed campaign, which after more than a month of heavy air strikes mostly concentrated in the west and northwest of the country. The remarks came almost a week after Iran was welcomed into the discussion over that crisis, reportedly in hopes of gauging the regime’s willingness to compromise on its defense of the long-term retention of Bashar al-Assad as president of Syria.

In this photo released on October 18, 2015, and provided by the…

Sahl al-Ghab is a plain next to a coastal mountain range that forms the homeland of Assad’s Alawite sect and shields the coast including Latakia from areas further east. Rebels advanced into the Ghab Plain earlier this year, helping to catalyze the Russian decision to intervene in support of Assad.

There are several rival jihadist groups fighting in Syria.

“It was a center for the gathering of regime forces and a point of departure for its operations”, said Fares al-Bayoush of rebel group Fursan al-Haq, which is fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.

The intensification of air and rocket strikes coincided with Washington’s shift in approach to the conflict after efforts to train Syrian rebels to fight ISIS collapsed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other activist groups say that a coalition of rebel fighters regained control over the village of Atshan in Hama province on Friday.

More than 120,000 people have been driven from their homes since Moscow’s bombing started in Syria, the United Nations says.

A group of investigative bloggers believe they have found proof that three serving or former Russian soldiers are operating in Syria after geolocating photographs to the troubled regions of Hama, Aleppo and Homs. Backed by the strikes, Syrian troops have been trying to reach Kweiras and break the siege. The nearby town of Morek fell to rebels on Thursday. This was the last government-held town on the highway between Hama and Aleppo. Assad’s forces battled for two weeks and finally took back the road Wednesday. “Even though we are the weakest link in the Syrian conflict, we will win with our weapons”.