DAMASCUS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Syrian government forces launched a counteroffensive in the northern countryside of Hama province in central Syria, reclaiming key areas from rebel groups after days of intense clashes, state media and a war monitor reported Sunday.

Units of the Syrian army reinforced their defensive lines overnight with additional firepower, personnel, and equipment, successfully repelling attacks by terrorist organizations and preventing any breaches, the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Our armed forces managed to secure several areas after expelling the terrorists, most notably Qalaat al-Madiq and Maardas, killing dozens of them while the rest fled," the ministry added.

State-run Syrian television reported that approximately 1,000 militants from the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and affiliated groups were killed over the past three days during the army's operations.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, confirmed that government forces have dispatched significant reinforcements in recent hours.

Since early Sunday morning, warplanes have conducted a series of airstrikes targeting areas around Mork, Khan Sheikhoun, Kafr Nabl, Hazarin, and Tal Kokba in the northwestern province of Idlib and northern Hama areas recently seized by the HTS. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

According to the Observatory, the intensive airstrikes have halted the advance of rebel factions in the Hama countryside.

The militant group HTS and allied opposition factions Saturday advanced in Hama in central Syria and took control of numerous towns and villages in the northern part of the province. Enditem

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