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                 Syrian Forces Launch Attack Near City of Homs

   by VOA News

   Syrian forces, supported by Russian airstrikes, launched an attack on
   rebel-held towns north of the city of Homs, Syrian state television and
   a group that monitors the war said Thursday, a day after U.S. and
   Russia concluded a third round of talks on rules for conduct in the air
   over the conflict-ridden country.

   Russia's airstrikes hit targets around the town of Talbiseh and the
   villages of Teir Malla, Dar Kabira and Khalidiya, a few miles north of
   the mainly government-held city of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for
   Human Rights said.

   The Britain-based monitor described heavy fighting between regime
   forces and rebels, particularly south of the rebel-held town of
   Talbisseh.

   The Observatory said Syrian soldiers and fighters from Lebanon's
   Hezbollah were involved in the assault Thursday. Director Rami
   Abdulrahman said six rebel fighters and two civilians had been killed.

   Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are also trying to recapture
   rebel-held land in Hama, Idlib and Latakia provinces.

   WATCH: Video explains complex situation in Syria


   The operation in Homs is the latest example of Syrian troops and their
   allies working in coordination with Russian airpower to advance against
   opposition fighters. Russian jets started airstrikes against rebel
   targets -- mainly in western Syria -- two weeks ago.

   Recapturing the area would help reassert Assad's control over the main
   population centers of western Syria and secure territory linking
   Damascus to the coastal heartland of his minority Alawite sect.

   Regional officials have said the army is preparing for a major ground
   operation around Aleppo city, close to the Turkish border.

   Islamic State assault

   The assault comes a day after Islamic State militants battled rival
   insurgent groups north of the city of Aleppo.

   A rebel fighter and the Syrian Observatory said Islamic State fighters
   took control of parts of the towns of Ahras and Tel Jabin, about 12
   kilometers (8 miles) north of Aleppo, before being pushed back.

   ''Gains by Islamic State fighters north of Aleppo would threaten the
   supply lines of rival rebels inside the city, which is divided between
   insurgents and government forces.

   Also Wednesday, U.S. and Russian defense officials concluded a third
   round of talks on rules for conduct in the air over Syria - and are
   finalizing a memorandum of understanding that will establish basic
   safety rules and avoid inadvertent collisions.

   The U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement that "progress was
   made" during the video conference Wednesday that "focused narrowly on
   the implementation of specific safety procedures."

   The Russian Defense Ministry reported a "convergence" of positions "on
   key provisions of the future document."

   Both parties agreed that the talks were "professional" and that the
   agreement is nearing completion.

   Russian reaction

   ''Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that the United
   States declined to take part in broader talks about coordination in
   Syria that would have involved either country sending a high-level
   delegation to the other's capital.

   A U.S. State Department spokesman said he did "not have anything
   specific" on the proposal. John Kirby also said the U.S. continues to
   show a willingness to talk with Russian authorities.

   Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the proposal at a forum on
   Tuesday, saying his side would have been led by Prime Minister Dmitri
   Medvedev and included military and security officials.

   U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is pushing a separate effort to
   get the U.S. and Russia on the same page in working toward a broad
   political resolution to the crisis in Syria.

   Russian airstrikes

   Meanwhile, Russia said its warplanes carried out at least 40 more
   bombing rounds Wednesday on Islamic State targets in the Syrian
   provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Hama and Deir ez-Zor.

   Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said one of its fighter jets
   approached a U.S. warplane in Syrian airspace last week only for
   identification purposes.

   Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the Russian jet came within 2 to 3
   kilometers of the U.S. plane in Aleppo province on a mission that was
   not intended to scare or provoke anyone.

   Konashenkov said the Russian jet then returned to its fighting group.

   Russian airstrikes have helped Syrian government troops regain
   territory, but the United States has criticized its campaign as
   targeting mostly rebel fighters and not Islamic State militants.

   Some material for this report came from Reuters and AFP.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-forces-launch-attack-near-city-of-homs/3007194.html