LATAKIA, SYRIA (3:25 P.M.) – Earlier today, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), backed by the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), launched a new assault in the northern Latakia countryside, targeting the strategic hilltop of Tal Haddadeh in the Kurdish Mountains (Jabal Al-Akrad).

According to the NDF’s official page, the Syrian Armed Forces managed to advance at Tal Haddadeh after a fierce battle this morning with the jihadist rebels of Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (formerly Al-Nusra Front) and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham.

Intense clashes are still ongoing at the moment, as the Syrian Armed Forces attempt to close the final gap between their positions and the Turkish border-crossing.

In addition to the ongoing firefights, the Syrian Arab Air Force is aiding their ground units by targeting the jihadist rebels along the Idlib-Latakia axis; this has forced the latter to reroute their supply convoys.