On Saturday, the army killed a number of militants in several districts of Homs city. It also pushed back militants in several other locations in the central province.

Heavy clashes have also been reported in and around the capital Damascus on the same day. Reports said that intense fighting erupted in Damascus' district of Barzeh and two eastern suburbs.

However, other reports said that militants have taken over an ammunition depot in Denha, near the town of Yabroud, north of Damascus.

The government troops have recently conducted successful clean-up operations across the country, inflicting heavy losses on the militants.

The Syrian Army’s push against the militants rattled their sponsors.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said on June 26 that Saudi Arabia is trembling with fear because of the Syrian Army’s recent gains against the militants.

In a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah on June 25, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal insisted that the militants in Syria must be armed with anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons.

Zoubi said that the Saudi weapons and money is the main reason behind bloodshed in Syria, adding that Faisal “is lost in the Syrian blood.”

The unrest in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following intervention of western and regional states.

Many Syrians who sided with the opposition at start of the protests have now turned to side with the government and the army to defend their country against foreign-backed extremists.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions of others displaced in the violence.

NTJ/