The army inflicted hefty losses on the rebels in the northern countryside of Hama, said SANA, adding the rebels fired rockets and shells on security areas.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian army succeeded in capturing key areas in northern Hama over the past 48 hours.

The London-based watchdog said the Russian and Syrian warplanes have conducted more than 2,000 airstrikes on rebel-held areas in northern Hama since April 30.

Areas in the countryside of Hama, Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo are included in the de-escalation zones deal which was reached between Russia and Turkey in September 2018.

The deal failed to materialize as the the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, expanded in Idlib and started attacks on Syrian military positions instead of withdrawing from the designated zone which combines Idlib with Hama and Aleppo countryside.

It's unclear yet whether the ongoing military operation will focus only on Hama countryside or expand to include Idlib.