Syrian air defense forces shoot down terrorists' explosives-laden drone in Hama

Syrian government forces have captured and dismantled an unmanned aerial vehicle rigged with explosives in the country’s west-central province of Hama.

Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that air defense units managed to intercept and shoot down the drone as it was flying in the skies over the city of al-Suqaylabiyah on Tuesday morning.

The report added that the aircraft had been launched by foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants operating in the area, and was armed with six missiles.

The projectiles were recovered by Syrian government forces and later defused.

Syrian forces take control of strategic village as army advances in Idlib

Syrian army soldiers and their allies establish control over a strategic village in the northern province of Idlib.

The development came only a few hours after Syrian army units shot down a drone operated by militant groups as it was about to launch an attack against government posts inside Hama Military Airport, which is located west of the provincial capital city of Hama and more than 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of the capital Damascus.

A number of other unmanned aerial vehicles also sought to attack the coastal city of Jableh in Syria’s western province of Latakia, but were brought down by government forces.

On Sunday, Syrian air defense units captured and dismantled a drone as it was flying over Salamiyah area in the eastern countryside of Hama province.

Syrian army troops clear over 40 towns, villages of Takfiri terrorists in Idlib

Meanwhile, Syria’s General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said in a statement on Tuesday that government forces are pressing ahead with their counter-terrorism offensives in the southern and southeastern sectors of the country's northern province of Idlib and making territorial gains as Takfiri terrorists are suffering losses.

The statement, published by SANA, read that government troops have succeeded in clearing more than 320 square kilometers of land in the area from remnants of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, plus other terror groups and retook control of more than forty towns and villages.

The statement enumerated some of the liberated towns and villages as Umm Tina, Taldem, Abu Sharqi, al-Rabiah, al-Khraiba, Bernan, al-Burj, al-Balouta, Umm al-Jabal and Tal Abu Hamid.

It stressed that Syrian armed forces are fairly determined to cleanse the entire Idlib province of terrorism, calling on ordinary civilians to leave the areas where militants are wreaking havoc and move towards government-controlled areas.

The statement concluded by emphasizing that anti-terror operations will continue nationwide until all Syrian territories occupied by terrorists are purged of their presence, and the national Syrian flag is hoisted across the country.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk