Another strategic village in the central province of Homs has been retaken by the Syrian Army and the country’s National Defense Force (NDF), in an offensive that came amid the ongoing ceasefire in the country, according to the Iranian news agency FARS. The Syrian troops managed to take full control over the village of al-Bayarat, hours after heavy fighting with Daesh terrorists, sources said.

The liberation of the village came after the Syrian Army and the NDF had seized back a strategic mountain and a number of oilfields from the terrorists in Homs. After securing the entire mountaintop of Jabal Jazal and the surrounding oil fields, the government troops advanced south towards the city of Palmyra, seizing part of the valley from the Daesh terrorists.

Earlier this week, Syrian warplanes conducted airstrikes against Daesh strongholds in different parts of Homs Province that left many militants dead and wounded and destroyed much of their military hardware, according to FARS.

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting against a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, which are prohibited in many countries, including Russia.

In February 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268, endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, shortly before the ceasefire came into force on February 27. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front.

Adding to the Syrian Army’s anti-terror effort is Russia’s ongoing air campaign which was launched on September 30, when more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, commenced precision airstrikes on Daesh and Al-Nusra Front targets in Syria at the behest of President Assad.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said that “Russian aircraft aren’t performing strikes in those regions where a willingness to cease fire and to start negotiations were expressed.