THE Syrian Army retook a large swathe of northern Hama province yesterday, building on strategic gains in the area.

Troops captured the town of Halfaya and surrounding villages in Hama from Hayat Tahrir as-Sham (Hetesh) — the latest al-Qaida-led alliance with Western-backed factions — which seized them last summer.

The latest gains put motorway links between the capital Damascus and Aleppo back under the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.