TEHRAN - Amid a reportedly lightening advance of the militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group towards Hama, the Syrian army has halted any attempts to invade the city.

Mainstream regional media first reported that Hama, like Aleppo, had fallen into the hands of the militants.

However, these reports have proven to be false with the HTS terrorists have not even reached the city’s borders.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense denied reports of a military withdrawal from Hama, underlining that units remain stationed in northern and eastern Hama countryside, fully prepared to repel any terrorist attack. 

Units of the Syrian Armed Forces operating in the northern Hama countryside strengthened their defensive lines, deploying various firepower, personnel, and equipment.

The army successfully repelled terrorist groups and prevented any breaches, according to a military source cited by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). 

The source also reported that the Armed Forces secured several areas after expelling terrorists in strategic locations near the city, killing dozens of them while the rest fled. 

In a series of intensive airstrikes, the Syrian military targeted and struck terrorist group positions around Morek, north of Hama, delivering a significant blow to the militants.

Airstrikes have targeted HTS positions in southern Idlib city and the town of Morek in northern Hama.  

The Syrian Army is battling to maintain a direct frontline with southern Idlib. Footage showed a convoy of army tanks heading towards Aleppo and Idlib.

Reports have said Syrian and Russian warplanes targeted movements of HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, in southern Idlib’s countryside.

However, it is a source of concern for the stability of the Arab state that the militants are in control of many parts of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria.

Over two million civilians have reportedly been displaced from Aleppo to nearby towns as a result of the presence of Takfiri groups in the city.

Government forces have reportedly repelled attempts by armed groups to advance in southern Aleppo, particularly near Abu al-Duhur Airbase. Footage circulating online appears to show militants in control of an airbase. The footage has not been verified.

The defense ministry has reiterated its commitment to continue operations to expel terrorist organizations and restore state control over all of Aleppo and its countryside.

Syrian Army units have redeployed near Aleppo’s International Airport to protect urban areas, the ministry said.

The army successfully reclaimed key areas along the administrative border between Hama and Idlib, strengthening its control of the region.

Syrian forces also crushed an attempt by militants to advance toward the town of Salma in the Latakia countryside. 

The Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria announced that at least 300 militants in Aleppo and Idlib provinces have been killed in joint operations with the Syrian Army.

The center’s Deputy Chief Oleg Ignatiuk revealed that airstrikes targeted militant positions, observation posts, ammunition depots, and artillery sites over 24 hours. 

This followed a massive assault by thousands of HTS-led terrorists, many of them foreign nationals, who launched a surprise offensive from Idlib that coincided with the Israeli ceasefire in Lebanon.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledged on Sunday to use force to eradicate terrorism, according to state news agency SANA. 

The statement was made during a phone call with the acting president of Abkhazia.

Assad emphasized that “terrorism only understands the language of force, and it is with this language that we will defeat and eliminate it, regardless of who supports or sponsors it,” SANA reported. 

Syrian media has reported that since the army’s counteroffensive three days ago, the casualties of terrorists in Aleppo, Idlib and Hama have reached 1000.

Amidst the military escalation, diplomatic efforts are also underway. President al-Assad held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.

Assad reaffirmed the Syrian Army’s commitment to defending national territory, while both leaders expressed support for Syria’s territorial integrity. 

Al-Sudani stressed Iraq’s readiness to provide all necessary support to Syria to confront armed extremists and all its organizations and affirmed Baghdad’s commitment to Syria’s stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

“Security and stability in Syria are of critical importance not only to Iraq but to all countries in the region,” the prime minister pointed out.

Iraq has closed its border with Syria and deployed reinforcements to secure the area in a bid to prevent a repeat of the 2014 tragedy when Takfiri terrorists crossed into Iraq and waged a three-year terror campaign in the neighboring Arab state.