Syrian government forces have managed to liberate two villages near the west-central city of Hamah, dealing a blow to the Takfiri terrorists operating in the area.

Syria’s official SANA news agency said Wednesday that Syrian army units took full control of Khirbet al-Naqous village, located west of Hamah, clearing the entire area from the militants.

The Syrian troops also advanced into Sahl al-Qhab region, west of Hamah, and retook Tal Wasit village.

Lebanon-based al-Manar TV, which is close to the resistance group Hezbollah and provides coverage of the Syrian army’s advances against the militants, confirmed the liberation of the two villages on Thursday.

Military sources said scores of militants were killed during the lightning offensive which saw the Syrian army capture a large swath of territory, including several strategic hilltops in the region.

Later reports suggested Syrian troops have also advanced in areas east of Hamah, killing scores of ISIL terrorists and destroying their vehicles near the Wardan Palace, around 60 kilometers east of the city.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) talks to the country's military personnel (file photo)[/caption]

Further to the center of Syria, government forces managed to retake a key historic village east of the city of Homs. A report by al-Ahd news agency said Syrian forces seized control of the Western Qasr al-Hayr from the ISIL militants, securing the army positions around a military airport near the village. A report by al-Alam also confirmed the capture of some historic sites in Homs, including the Bayra al-Mar Palace in Palmyra.

Also on Thursday, Syrian fighter jets launched attacks on the positions of the militants in the northern outskirts of the port city of Latakia, northwest of Syria, killing and wounding “tens of militants,” according to a report by al-Alam.

Another attack on militants operating in the Kafr Shams village in the southern province of Daraa killed scores of them while a major arms depot in the village was completely destroyed.

Also to north of the capital Damascus, the Syrian army and Hezbollah troops continued to drive out militants in Zabadani, with reports saying that the allied forces have purged the al-Nusra Front terrorists from the al-Zahra district while they have also blown up a major tunnel south of the city, cutting off the militants supply line into the Ahrar al-Sham neighborhood.

The conflict in Syria, which started in March 2011, has reportedly claimed more than 230,000 lives.

The violence has also forced over 3.8 million Syrians to take refuge in neighboring countries, while more than 7.2 million others have been displaced within Syria, according to the United Nations.

By Press TV