DAMASCUS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Tuesday foiled an offensive by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group in the northwestern province of Latakia, killing at least 12 militants and wounding several others, local media reported.
The army repelled the rebel attack while its artillery rained a barrage of shells on the remnants of the rebel positions, resulting in significant losses in the group's equipment and casualties, according to the report.
Long-simmering tensions between the HTS and the Syrian army, with both sides exchanging fire in northern Syria, have seen an escalation that coincides with the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict, it added.
HTS, a former al-Qaida affiliate, has established control over a large swathe of the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. ■
