MOSCOW (TASS) — Syria’s government army repelled attacks staged by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (also known as Jabhat al-Nusra, a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) militants in the southwestern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone in the Hama governorate, killing up to 350 terrorists and destroying six tanks and armoured infantry carriers, Major General Viktor Kupchishin, chief of the Russian Centre for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, said on Friday.

Gen. Kupchishin said:

Throughout the day, government forces repelled attacks by illegal armed groups near the settlements of Kafr Nbuda and Huayz in the Hama governorate. Since May 21, while rebuffing militant’s attacks the Syrian government army has destroyed up to 350 terrorists, five tanks, one armored infantry carries, 27 pickup trucks with heavy machineguns, two ‘jihad cars’ and three multiple missile launcher systems.

According to Kupchishin, armed groups are seeking to make up for the losses and are pulling troops, weapons and military hardware to the settlement of Kafr Nbuda:

Over the past two days, more than 800 militants, at least seven tanks, three armored infantry carries, 15 pickup trucks with heavy machineguns have been pulled to the southwestern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone. According to reconnaissance data, terrorists are planning to use from two to four car stuffed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers to stage an offensive on the Syrian army.

He did not rule out that illegal armed groups may stage fake attacks with the use of toxic agents to later put the blame for them on the Syrian army.

Twelve settlements in the Latakia and Hama governorates within the Idlib de-escalation zone came under shelling by militants during the day: