A Syrian war monitor said Wednesday that government forces have launched a counteroffensive near the Hama, pushing back Islamist-led rebel forces seeking to advance on the key central city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that "after midnight, regime forces launched a counterattack" with air support on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels and allied factions near Hama, adding that government forces pushed HTS away from the provincial capital by about 10 kilometers.