<span style="color: #222222;">In Syria, 55 combatants were killed in clashes between regime loyalists and insurgents in northwest part of the country on Saturday, as government forces continued to nibble away at territory held by its opponents. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 23 pro-government forces as well as 32 terrorists and allied rebels were killed in Idlib province and its adjoining areas. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Britain-based monitor added that the regime also launched dozens of air strikes against northern Hama and southern Idlib. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The latest violence came as forces loyal to Damascus pushed a days-long advance towards a strip straddling the provinces of Hama and Idlib. </span>