The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) secured early on August 23 most of the remaining towns, villages and hilltops inside the militants’ enclave in northern Hama.
Pro-government sources confirmed that the army captured the key towns and villages of Kafr Zita, al-Lataminah, al-Buwaydah, Latmeen, Lahaya and Maarkaba as well as the Fas hill.
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The town of Murak and the Turkish observation post, south of it, are now the only two positions, which are still out of the army’s control. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the army is now working to tighten its siege on the Turkish post.
The SAA initiated its military operations inside the militants’ enclave a day earlier, capturing the village of Sayyad and two hilltops.
With the capture of these towns, Jaysh al-Izza, a close ally of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has lost all of its strongholds. The group could dissolve itself, or join one of the Turkish-backed coalitions in northern Syria soon.
