Syrian opposition fighters have seized several areas in a rapid advance against government forces in central Hama province, prompting a wave of regime airstrikes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
At least 25 civilians, including children, were killed in the strikes early this morning as fighting raged in parts of Hama, the Britain-based group says.
The monitor says an alliance of rebel and jihadist forces had launched the offensive on Monday in Hama, which is south of the opposition-held Idlib province.
Syrian Civil Defense members, known as the White Helmets, search for survivors amid burning vehicles belonging to people fleeing in northern Hama, after they were reportedly targeted by a Syrian government forces air strike on September 1, 2016. (AFP PHOTO/Omar haj kadour)
The alliance, which includes the jihadist Jund Al-Aqsa force, is aiming to take control of the airport in Hama, from which regime helicopters fly regular sorties against opposition fighters.
“They are about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the airport” in Hama, Syria’s fourth-largest city, says Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman, whose group relies on a broad network of sources inside Syria.
— AFP
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