Rebels’ groupings in Lataminah and the surrounding towns were hit by barrages of rockets fired by the Syrian army ahead of the ground invasion, Al-Masdar News says.

The strikes come in response to a rocket attack launched earlier by militant groups against the government troops in north Hama countryside.

For the second day in a row, the battles are restricted to artillery and rocket shelling without airstrikes; which has been temporarily halted as the three guarantor states: Turkey, Iran and Russian discuss Idlib offensive.