Syrian army encircles rebels in Hama pocket - state TV

The Syrian army encircled rebels in a cluster of towns in northwest Syria's Hama countryside, imposing a "choking siege" and marching deeper into the pocket, state-run Ikhbariya TV said on Friday.

Government forces seized a dozen hills and expanded their control of the main highway there, the channel said in a live broadcast from the nearby town of Khan Sheikhoun.

It said much of the area, which includes a few towns and their environs which insurgents have held for years, was now either under army control of within its firing range.

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