"The Syrian army has established control over the airfield of Abu Duhur in the province of Idlib," the source said.
According to the source, the forward-deployed units of the Syrian forces entered the territory of the airbase after capturing the fortifications on the eastern side of the base, which had been seized by al-Nusra Front (outlawed in Russia) terrorists in 2015.
Earlier in the day, a source told Sputnik that Syrian government forces had been engaged in heavy fighting against the terrorist group near the airbase.
"Heavy fighting against Nusra militants is now taking place near the airbase, accompanied with intense aviation and artillery strikes," the source told Sputnik.
According to the source, over the past 24 hours, the Syrian army managed to push militants from 12 villages and move closer to the airbase, which was seized by terrorists in 2015.
The province of Idlib, bordering Turkey, is part of the de-escalation agreements brokered by Moscow, Ankara and Tehran, with Turkey deploying observation points in the area. Recently, Syrian troops supported by allied forces have launched an anti-terrorist operation in the province.
However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Syrian government forces of "attacking" moderate opposition forces in Idlib province under the pretext of fighting terrorists.
READ MORE: Car Bombs Rip Through Syria's Idlib, Killing Dozens
Syria has been in a state of civil war for more than six years, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations.
