DAMASCUS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Wednesday regained full control over a military base in the strategic al- Qussair city in central Syria and dislodged rebels from towns near the capital Damascus in the south, the state-run SANA news agency said.
As part of its wide-scale operation in al-Qussair near the borders with Lebanon, the army regained full control over the al- Daba'a airbase after days of intense clashes with the rebels.
Pro-government media outlets said the army controlled large parts of the airport a couple of days ago, while the state-media said the army took full control over the base on Wednesday.
"An army unit entered al-Daba'a airport and cleared its structures from the terrorists who were holed up inside," SANA said, adding that the troops are still searching for the " terrorists" hiding in the airbase.
The Syrian army pushed its way into al-Qussair early Sunday after taking control of its suburb following 46 days of battling. The offensive aims to cut the rebels' main supply line.
Syrian sources expected the operation in al-Qussair to end within few days.
Meanwhile, SANA said the army on Wednesday also managed to reseize the villages of al-Duwair and Mhajrin in the northern outskirts of Homs province.
In the northwestern province of Idlib, SANA published the names of six fighters from Jordan, Libya and Saudi Arabia who were said to had been killed during an army operation in the countryside of Idlib.
Also in Idlib, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said that an American and a British fighters were killed in clashes with the army.
Salim Harba, a Syrian military expert, told al-Mayadeen that more than 40,000 foreign fighters are currently fighting alongside rebels across Syria.
In an interview with al-Mayadeen, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said more than 28 countries have facilitated inroads for radical jihadists into Turkey before slipping into Syria to fight the government.
Meanwhile, the state news agency said the army controlled large parts of the eastern Gouta suburb of Damascus, namely the towns of Haran al-Awamid, al-Atyba, al-Abada, al-Baharyeh, Jarba, al- Zamanyeh, al-Qasimyeh and Adra.
It said the army was also closing in on rebels in the Sydi Miqdad and Bayt Sahem areas near Damascus.
The army's recent advancement is deemed by political experts as the Syrian administration's attempt to strengthen its position ahead of the forthcoming peace talks at a planned international conference on Syria slated for mid-June in Geneva.
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