BALADI NEWS
The Assad regime forces and its supporting militias, backed by Russian fighter jets, reached the M5 highway following fierce clashes with the opposition factions last night, during which clashed the opposition fighters had to withdraw from four positions near Maarat al-Numan in south Idlib, Baladi News correspondent reports.
Meanwhile, pro-Assad forces captured the villages of Maasaran, Babila, al-Dana and al-Ghadfa near the city of Maarat al-Numan, Baladi correspondent. adds
The correspondent affirmed that Assad regime forces are too close from the villages of Bineen and Hantouteen, which overlook all the neighborhoods of Maarat al-Numan city, which the regime plans to besiege and avoid involving in a street war that might cause it big losses.
In order to advance, the Assad forces and their allies used the scorched land policy, where they carried out more than 200 airstrikes, and shelled the areas with hundreds of rockets and artillery shelled in a few hours.
It is noteworthy that, since the start of Assad and Russia's last military campaign on December 15th, in which they took control over more than 45 towns and villages, the allied forces have sought to take control over the international Damascus-Aleppo highway known as M5, where they committed dozens of massacres against Civilians, destroyed nearby cities and towns, and displaced more than 300,000 civilians to the Turkish border.