DAMASCUS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Monday captured two areas in the central province of Hama following battles with the rebels, state news agency SANA reported.
The army captured the villages of Tal Mileh and al-Jubain in the northwestern countryside of Hama province, said SANA.
The report said large numbers of "terrorists" were killed in the aforementioned areas.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the villages link two government-controlled areas of Mhardeh and Squalibiyeh.
This road is crucial for the supplies of the Syrian army.
The UK-based watchdog group said the rebels withdrew from the villages, possibly due to the heavy shelling by the Syrian army.
The rebels captured the two villages in June and the Syrian army then lost 400 soldiers within 50 days of counter-offensives.
The battles have been raging since late April in the northern countryside of Hama province between an array of rebel groups and the Syrian army.
Areas of the countryside of Hama, Idlib and the Aleppo provinces are included in a de-escalation zones' deal established in September 2018 by Russia and Turkey.
The deal didn't materialize as battles have escalated since late April.
