Al-Qalamoun is a Mediterranean seaside town of the North Governorate of Lebanon in the Tripoli District. The army launched an offensive against the militants in the region on Monday.

Syrian forces have made major advances against Takfiris across the country recently.

Security has now been restored to several villages around the cities of Quneitra, Homs, Aleppo and Deir al-Zour, the official SANA news agency reported on Monday.

An unnamed Syrian official said the army had destroyed great amounts of weapons and ammunition over the past days.

In Aleppo, northwestern Syria, the army destroyed equipment used by militants, including rocket launch-pads and mortars.

Nearly three years of crisis has taken its toll on the lives of around 126,000 people in Syria, according to new statistics compiled by the United Nations. Millions have also been displaced due to the turmoil.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that the number of Syrian refugees, who have fled to neighboring countries, has passed the three million mark.

According to political experts, the foreign-backed militants and Takfiri terrorists have stalled the attempts by regional and international actors to end the fatal crisis in Syria.

NTJ/BA