Syrian forces strike several rebel positions in Aleppo province

The Syrian army has pounded several rebel-held positions in the countryside of the northern province of Aleppo, in retaliation to the breach of the truce in some areas there, state news agency SANA reported on Friday.

The government forces' shelling on the towns of Khan Tuman, Eis, Aran al-Mawaleh, Rashidin, Rasm Khamis, and the vicinity of the aviation faculty, came in retaliation to the breach of the truce by some rebel groups in Aleppo which pledged alliance to the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, said the report.

It added that tens of terrorists were killed in the retaliatory military campaign. Both the Nusra Front and the Islamic State (IS) groups were designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations and were excluded from a truce that has been in place since Feb. 27 this year.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that the Syrian and Russian warplanes carried out a total of 60 airstrikes against the aforementioned areas in Aleppo countryside, amid battles between the Syrian army backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah and rebel groups backed by the Nusra Front.

On April 4, SANA said the Syrian army had foiled a wide scale offensive by the Nusra Front rebels in Aleppo countryside.

It said the Syrian army clashed with a group of the Nusra Front, which attempted to attack military bases in the countryside of Aleppo.

The General Command of the Syrian army issued a statement, threatening to strike with "an iron fist" all those who will attack civilians and military positions.

Soon after, the Joint Operation Room in Aleppo said on Tuesday that the Syrian forces and allied fighters will unleash a "destructive campaign" against the Nusra Front and allied groups.

In a statement aired on some Arab TVs, the Joint Operation Room said the next few days will witness a crushing campaign against the Nusra Front and other radical groups for breaching the ceasefire by attacking government forces' positions and civilian areas in Aleppo.

The room comprises of Syrian officers, members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group along with Shiite fighters from Iran as well as Russian military advisers.

"The responsibility of breaching the truce lies on the terrorist groups," said the statement, referring that some groups attacked military positions south of Aleppo along with the Nusra Front.

The Joint Operation Room, commanding the military operations in Aleppo, said the Syrian army committed itself to the truce, stressing that "the civilians are the most affected by the battles."

The statement said the Syrian army and its allies will open the hell gates for the armed groups on all the fronts in Aleppo, and this time nothing will stop the battles against the terrorists.

Meanwhile, the statement urged the civilians who live in the rebel-held areas in Aleppo to stay away from the rebel positions because "the next days will carry destructive battles."

It said that all the forces have arrived in Aleppo to wage the battle, including Special Units of the Syrian army, Russian experts and fighters from Hezbollah and Iran. Endit