MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, such as the Daesh and al-Nusra Front.
"Al-Nusra Front militants attempted to launch an offensive on positions of the government troops near Handrat [Aleppo province] after performing an artillery shelling. Units of the Syrian Armed Forces have repelled the attack," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website.