AL-QAIDA-linked extremists launched an offensive on Syrian army positions in the north of Hama province yesterday, breaking a ceasefire that had held for more than a month.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Hetesh) attack north of the strategically important town of Ma’an broke the truce between the government and insurgents in Idlib province.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told a press conference in Moscow that a major ceasefire deal in Homs, which was announced on Thursday, would cover an area with a population of more than 147,000 people.