A Russian military source cited by Russian news agencies said on Thursday that an assertion by Syrian rebels that they had recaptured the strategic town of Saraqeb from government forces was false.
Syrian rebels backed by the Turkish military said earlier on Thursday they had recaptured Saraqeb, the first significant reverse for the Syrian army in a Russian-backed offensive that had made swift gains.
The Russian military source rejected that version of events however and said Syrian government forces had successfully repelled a rebel attack on Saraqeb.