Takfiri extremist militants have taken partial control of the small Christian town of Kassab in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border.
Militants from vari
ous groups, mainly the al-Qaeda-linked Takfiri al-Nusra Front and the Ahrar ash-Sham brigade, seized parts of predominantly Armenian Christian town of Kassab on Sunday
The so-called Al-Nusra Front has also taken control of a nearby border crossing to Turkey.
Government troops, however, are active in the area, trying to recapture it.
The recent militant advance comes as the foreign-backed militancy in Syria has suffered a string of losses in recent weeks.
The Syrian Army has lately liberated several towns near the Lebanese border as part of an operation aimed at severing militant supply lines and securing the frontier.
On Friday, foreign-backed militants launched their offensive in the predominantly Alawite province of Latakia in the northwest and the fighting spread to Kassab and the nearby border crossing.
Syrian authorities say Turkey is helping the militants launch attacks on Kassab from the Turkish territory, criticizing Ankara for providing cover for the assaults.
On Saturday, several militants were killed in an army ambush near the capital Damascus. The militants were reportedly members of the al-Nusra Front.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011.
Over 130,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.
The Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are reportedly supporting the militants operating inside Syria.