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BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The Syrian army says that it has retaken villages from the control of rebels in a new offensive. The villages are close to President Bashar al Assad's ancestral homeland Qardaha in the northeastern coastal province of Latakia.
An army source said Sunday that aerial bombardment had intensified over the past 48 hours, in a bid to cut rebel supply lines in territory close to Turkey's border.
Five villages and hilltops had been wrested back from the rebels. Latakia has been a key battleground of the conflict, which is now in its fifth year.
The Syrian army had stepped up its campaign in the province since rebel groups took the strategically located town of Jisr al Shughour in April, strengthening their position close to the hometown of the Assad family.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
