Salma is located northeast of Latakia’s coastal capital, along front lines between rebels, and Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces. The rebel groups involved in the fighting include al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra and the more moderate Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham.
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Backed by relentless Russian airstrikes, Syrian troops and allied militiamen on Wednesday pushed deeper into a major rebel stronghold in the northwestern province of Latakia, a day after seizing a key rebel-held town in the strategic region overlooking the coast, the government and opposition activists said.
Over the past 48 hours, more than 120 air strikes by Russian warplanes targeted Salma and its outskirts, the Observatory reported.
On Wednesday, government troops seized the villages of Mrouniyah and Marj Kawkah near Salma as they continued their advances in the region, aided by Russian firepower.
Syria’s state news agency SANA said its troops had taken control of Salma and nearby hills.
The government forces then advanced rapidly in different sides of the town, mainly in the South and the East. The engineering units of the army defused bombs, mines and other explosive devices planted by the militants across the entrances of the town.
Government forces backed by Russian air strikes and allied Hezbollah fighters have fought fierce battles in recent months to retake other rebel-held areas in the north of the province.
In comments carried by SANA on Tuesday, Assad said the support of “friendly nations” like Iran and Russian Federation had allowed Syria to fight off “terrorism”.
Speaking after meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Assad said he “appreciated the positions of Iran, which supported Syria in the face of terrorism”.
The Syrian Red Crescent organization said its workers were preparing to unload the second aid delivery in a week.
Russian bombers began using cover from fighter jets during their missions in Syria after the downing a Su-24 by the Turkey on November 24.
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The conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011 with anti-regime protests, which have since spiralled into a full-fledged war that has left more than 260,000 people dead.
