Damascus: Syrian troops have recaptured a key town in the central province of Homs, media reported.
The Syrian troops, backed by paramilitary National Defence Forces, Thursday recaptured al-Husn, a large town of the Homs governorate in northwest Syria near the border with Lebanon.
The Syrian troops also took back control over the al-Husn Castle, a centuries-old Unesco heritage site located on a high hill in al-Husn town, putting the Syrian flag atop, according to Xinhua.
The Syrian Army said that its troops also restored security in other towns surrounding al-Husn.
This came just days after the army recaptured Yabroud in northern Damascus, known as the "revolution bastion" among the rebels.
The wide-scale military offensive in the northern countryside of Damascus and the central Homs province aims to cut off the rebels` illegal smuggling routes from neighbouring Lebanon, and to secure the vicinity of Damascus and the international road that connects the southern parts of Syria with its central and northwestern parts.
