Syrian troops recaptured a military airport and nearby town east of Damascus on Monday, more than three years after they were overrun by rebel groups, a military source said.
"The Syrian army has taken full control of the town of Marj al-Sultan and its airport in Eastern Ghouta," a rebel bastion east of the capital, the military source said.
Rebel groups seized the airport, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) east of Damascus, in November 2012.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the government forces were backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hizbullah.
They fully secured the airport on Monday afternoon but "are still working to secure the town," where some rebels remain, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
He said the joint offensive to retake Marj al-Sultan began about a month ago and has sparked fierce clashes and rocket fire in the area.
Monday's advance "will be a step towards tightening the siege around Eastern Ghouta... and reinforcing the Damascus international airport and the road that leads to it," Abdel Rahman said.
Government forces have imposed a devastating siege on the Eastern Ghouta region, which is largely held by rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad.