On Sunday morning, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) were surprised by a powerful assault from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” and their ally “Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham” (Hawks of the Levant Brigade) at the towns of Al-Lataminah, Al-Bawaydah, and Ma’rkabah in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate.
The militants from Jabhat Al-Nusra and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham attempted to break-through the Syrian Armed Forces’ frontline defenses at Al-Bawaydah and Ma’rkabah, where they achieved initial success before reinforcements from the National Defense Forces poured into these towns and helped drive back the enemy combatants towards the border of the Idlib Governorate.