Insurgents attack Syrian-government areas near Hama

Insurgent groups launched a big attack on Syrian government-held areas north of the city of Hama today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a media outlet run by the Lebanese group Hezbollah reported.

Several groups participated in the well-planned attack on government-held villages, the Observatory said, including Tahrir Al-Sham – an alliance of Islamist groups spearheaded by the jihadist group formerly known as Al-Nusra Front.

The Hezbollah-run military news outlet said the army and its allies were repelling what it described as a large-scale attack in the area by Al-Nusra Front and factions affiliated to it. Al-Nusra Front denounced ceasefire talks in Kazakhstan last week, and vowed to keep fighting.

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Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests. Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and in excess of ten million displaced, according to the UN.