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Forty-eight hours after the collapse of the truce in the provinces of Hama and Idleb, the Syrian army progressed in a violent offensive against pro-Turkish rebels and jihadists. The fighting killed 40 people in both camps in less than 24 hours, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh
Supported by Russian aviation and a powerful artillery barrage, the Syrian army resumed its advance north of Hama province. On Wednesday, August 7, she chased the rebels of Jaych al-Izza and the jihadists of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from the town of Zakah after taking another village the day before. The insurgents launched a counteroffensive without being able to slow down the advance of the Syrian army.
Government troops are now only four kilometers from the last rebel and jihadist fiefdom north of Hama . The fighting takes place not far from the observation posts of the Turkish army, installed in the so-called demilitarized zone, which could never really be established.
The clashes on the ground are accompanied by violent artillery duels that do not spare residential areas. While Syrian and Russian aircraft carried out more than 120 raids, sometimes far from the front lines, the rebels rocketed rockets on Wednesday afternoon at government-controlled towns in Hama.
The escalation on the ground comes after the collapse of the truce following the refusal of the jihadists to withdraw from the future buffer zone, and the announcement by the Syrian army of the resumption of its offensive.
► See also: Syria: Idleb bombing resumes after a short-term truce