beirut syrian army ally launch air strike rebel north city hama thursday recapture villages lose insurgents attack early week war monitor say series strike midnight hit areas rebel-held khan sheikhoun kafr nabil kafr zeita maarat al-numan syrian observatory human right say offensive jihadist insurgent group week big near hama since march army late wednesday retake villages lose attack observatory say syrian president bashar al-assad gain momentum six-year war since drive rebel aleppo december aid russia air force iran-backed shi ite militias include lebanon hezbollah however insurgents still hold large populous areas northwest southwest syria small pocket elsewhere country tuesday attack north hama revive hostilities northwestern area near turkish border relatively calm recent months russian-led diplomacy seek shore ceasefires across western syria syrian army strike rebel near hama monitor