Syrian army soldiers advance in Tall Touqan village, in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, about 45 kilometres southwest of Aleppo, Feb 5, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

DAMASCUS/MOSCOW - The Syrian army on Wednesday stormed and captured the key city of Saraqeb, the latest in a string of victories the army scored in the northwestern province of Idlib, a war monitor reported.

The victory comes days after the Syrian forces captured the town of Maarat al-Numan in the southern countryside of Idlib

The Syrian army stormed the city following the withdrawal of the rebel groups, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The army is combing through the city, the Britain-based monitor added.

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The victory comes days after the Syrian forces captured the city of Maarat al-Numan in the southern countryside of Idlib, which was the first big achievement toward securing the main Damascus-Aleppo highway.

For weeks, the Syrian army has been fighting the rebels in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo to secure the main highway linking Hama Province in central Syria with Aleppo.

This highway connects with the Damascus-Hama highway. 

The United States on Wednesday stepped up warnings to Russia over its Syria policy, saying Moscow was trying to challenge the US presence in northeastern Syria by violating the terms of a de-confliction agreement and was also helping escalate the fighting in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The United States, France and the United Kingdom called for a United Nations Security Council meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation in Idlib.

The Idlib violence has accelerated in recent months despite several ceasefire efforts, including as recently as January.

READ MORE: Media: Turkish convoy crossed into Idlib to help rebels

The Kremlin said on Thursday that militants in Turkey’s “zone of responsibility” in Idlib were continuing to attack Syrian government forces and Russian military infrastructure.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no plans currently for President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to meet to reduce tensions in Idlib, but that such a meeting could be quickly organized if needed.

With Reuters inputs