The Syrian army on Sunday seized the last rebel-held town of Rabia, AFP reported, citing state television channels. The town in Latakia province, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, had been controlled by rebel groups, including Syrian Turkmen and al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, since 2012. The fall of Rabia comes after government troops regained control of the strategic town of Salma on January 12.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the military force surrounded the town on Sunday gradually over the last two days. “In the past 48 hours, regime forces surrounded the town from three sides – the south, west, and north – by capturing 20 villages,” Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the observatory, told AFP. Rahman added that the fight was overseen by senior Russian military officials, while Russian airstrikes played a key role.

In another development, the observatory said Russian airstrikes near the East Syrian city of Deir al-Zor killed at least 63 people, including nine children. Russian jets have been bombing the region, while Syrian pro-government forces are engaged in a battle with the Islamic State, which controls most of the province, Reuters reported.