Syrian Army expels Al-Qaeda from one more town in northeast Hama

Preluded by a wave of Russian airstrikes, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) took control of another village in the northeastern countryside of Hama on Saturday afternoon after clashing Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) throughout the morning hours.

Capitalizing on their momentum north of the M42 (Sheikh Hilal-Ithriyah) Highway, the SAA overran the frontier town of Mushayrifa town today. Mushayrifa notably neighbors the recently liberated village of Abu Laffeh.

The lighting assault was conducted in a joint operation spearheaded by the Republican Guard and Qalamoun Shield Forces whom have been leading the SAA’s offensive in rural Hama in recent weeks.

In addition to expanding their buffer zone around the main supply line leading to Aleppo, the SAA has secured a launched pad for an assault on the nearby HTS bastion of Rahjan which represents the next immediate target for government forces according to Al-Masdar News correspondent Ibrahim Joudeh.

In a broader strategic perspective, today’s government advance puts the SAA one step closer to the jihadist heartland in the Idlib Governorate.