Syrian regime troops have retaken the ancient Christian town of Maalula, a day after President Bashar al-Assad said the conflict was turning in his government's favour.
"The army has taken full control of Maalula and restored security and stability. Terrorism has been defeated in Qalamun," a security official told AFP on Monday, referring to the region in which Maalula is located.
"This operation comes in the context of the capture of Qalamun. A large number of terrorists were killed and others who fled are being pursued," added the official, who asked not to be named.
Syria's regime uses the term "terrorists" to refer to all those who seek Assad's overthrow.
Maalula's capture "reinforces control of the crossing points on the border" with Lebanon, the official added.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
It comes after a string of regime successes in the strategic Qalamun region, including the seizure of the former rebel bastion of Yabrud last month.
The Syrian regime has made securing Qalamun a key priority in order to protect the highway linking Damascus to Homs that runs through the region, as well as to sever rebel supply lines across the border with Lebanon.
Maalula fell to rebel forces last December, as the regime focused its attention on capturing towns along the Damascus-Homs highway.
The picturesque town is considered a symbol of the ancient Christian presence in Syria, and its 5000 pre-war residents are among the few in the world who still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ.
When the town was seized by rebels, 13 nuns were seized from its convent and held by Al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters until a prisoner swap with the regime in March.
Maalula's fall comes a day after Assad said his government was gaining the upper hand in the conflict that began in March 2011 and has left more than 150,000 people dead.
"This is a turning point in the crisis, both militarily in terms of the army's achievements in the war against terror, and socially in terms of national reconciliation processes and growing awareness of the truth behind the (attacks) targeting the country," state news agency SANA quoted the president as saying.
The uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with peaceful anti-government protests that were suppressed with force.
After several months, the opposition took up arms and the uprising spiralled into a bloody civil war that Damascus claims is the result of a foreign-backed "terrorist" plot.
Elsewhere in Syria on Monday, warplanes carried out several air strikes on parts of the central city of Homs under government siege.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman said air strikes were reported on the Old City of Homs, adding that the regime had reinforced its presence around the neighbourhoods.
