Beirut, Nov 30, (dpa/GNA) – Syrian rebels have captured at least 11 villages in the countryside around Hama, where Syrian government forces were stationed, a war monitor reported on Saturday.
“What we are witnessing in Syria now is a total collapse of government troops,” Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Righs, told dpa.
Abdel Rahman said the rebels, have also managed to take control of Aleppo’s international airport, after earlier reports that Kurdish forces had taken the airport.
The assault towards the western region of Hama comes amid a collective offensive by rebel groups, led by the Islamist militant organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has captured parts of the key northern city of Aleppo.
Abdel Rahman also said Syrian government troops were seen leaving the city of Hama.
However, a military source in the Syrian Defence Ministry denied reports about the withdrawal of the Syrian military from Hama.
“We confirm that our armed forces units are stationed in their positions, in the northern and eastern countryside of Hama Governorate,” the source told dpa.
GNA