BEIRUT, December 4. /TASS/. The Syrian army has taken the outskirts of the city of Hama in the country’s west under control, the Al-Ikhbaria TV channel reports.

According to the broadcaster, there are no militants left in the area and security is fully ensured by Syrian forces. The TV channel added that government forces had also retaken the settlement of Tuba in the northwestern part of the Hama province.

Earlier, the Al Watan newspaper reported that Syrian forces had made militants retreat at least 20 kilometers from Hama.

On Tuesday, the Syrian Defense Ministry dismissed reports of militants penetrating two neighborhoods in the city of Hama. The military agency said that Syrian forces "are stationed on the city’s outskirts and in fortifications along the frontline."

On the morning of November 27, units of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) carried out a large-scale attack in northern Syria. According to the Syrian military command, the terrorists tried to attack villages and towns defended by government forces, as well as military facilities and the Syrian army’s positions. Syrian troops launched an operation to repel the attack. On November 30, the army command said that strikes had been carried out on the positions of militants penetrating many neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo. The Syrian Defense Ministry stated that the army had to regroup in order to protect the lives of civilians and military personnel and prepare for a counterattack.