Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl criticized the West's involvement in Syria and Ukraine, pointing to clear evidence of international support for militants, often referred to as the "moderate Syrian opposition."

Kneissl quoted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who highlighted the professional training, uniforms, and advanced weapons of the militants, suggesting they are backed by international forces.

She shared a message from Assad, who called these forces “dark forces” and noted, “The equipment, uniforms, drones, and training they have are internationally supported and trained forces, not some bearded men with AK-47s.”

She emphasized the interconnectedness of the Syrian and Ukrainian conflicts, stating that several Western capitals are playing a "dirty game", with flows of weapons, drugs, cash, and mercenaries heading to the Middle East and beyond.

"This is a very dirty game being played by several Western capitals," Kneissl remarked.

Syrian Army fortifies Hama positions, liberates captured areas

Syrian Army units operating in the northern countryside of Hama strengthened their defensive lines last night with various firepower assets, a Syrian military source confirmed to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Sunday.

"Our forces operating in the northern countryside of Hama repelled terrorist organizations, preventing them from achieving any breakthroughs," the source said, adding that the Syrian Amry successfully liberated several areas after expelling terrorists, most notably Qal’at al-Madiq and the village of Ma’ardas in Hama.

Syrian state TV also announced that the Syrian Army's confrontations in the past three days with HTS led to the killing of around a thousand militants.

Meanwhile, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Damascus reported that Syrian and Russian warplanes targeted militant movements in the villages of Hazarin and Rakaya in the southern countryside of Idlib.

Later, he confirmed that the Syrian army regained control of several towns in the northern Hama countryside, reaching the eastern Hama countryside.

Our correspondent noted that the airstrikes targeted positions of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group near Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib and Morek in the northern countryside of Hama, adding that Syrian Army forces recaptured the town of Halfaya in the area.

Moreover, Al Mayadeen's correspondent maintained that the circulated reports that armed groups have taken control of the village of Mahardah and the city of al-Saqlabiyah in the Hama countryside and that they are advancing toward the village of Salamiyah are not true.

The Syrian army and allied forces also liberated the town of Taybat al-Imam, the village of Khirbet al-Hijama, and Soran in the northern Hama countryside, according to our correspondent, who also indicated that the Syrian Army is fortifying its positions in Hama and its northern regions, maintaining direct frontlines with southern Idlib. 

Russian coordination

On its part, the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria announced the elimination of at least 300 militants in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib in northern Syria, in coordination with the Syrian Army.

This comes after militants affiliated with the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, supported by thousands of foreign mercenaries, heavy weaponry, and numerous drones, launched a large-scale offensive from multiple fronts in Aleppo and Idlib.

Yesterday, Syria’s military announced a “temporary troop withdrawal” in Aleppo, saying dozens of its soldiers had been killed or wounded in fierce battles with “armed terrorist organizations” in the governorates of Aleppo and Idlib over the previous few days.

It added that it was now regrouping, redeploying troops to strengthen its defense lines as it prepared a “counterattack”.

The army said the terrorists had entered large parts of Aleppo but army bombardment had stopped them from establishing fixed positions. It promised to “expel them and restore the control of the state… over the entire city and its countryside."

Read more: Assad says Syria to defend territories against terrorists, backers