Syrian ground troops push into rebel enclave
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, shows members of the Syrian Civil Defense workers carrying a victim after a deadly airstrike hit a market killing several people in the village of Ras el-Ain, in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syria, Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Opposition activists say government forces have intensified their bombardment of rebel-held towns and villages in northwestern Syria. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)
Syrian pro-government media say troops have pushed their way into a rebel-held enclave in the northwest, clashing with insurgents and widening an offensive that until now had mainly involved aerial bombings and shelling.
The Central Military Media said Wednesday that government forces entered Kfar Nabudah, a rebel-held village on the southwestern edge of the enclave. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the ground operation, which was launched with close air support. Rebel groups reported the clashes and a car bomb detonated by their fighters.
In recent days government forces have intensified their bombardment of rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria, as a cease-fire in place since September appears to have all but collapsed. Government forces seized a village and a strategic hill on Monday.