Urban Tank Battle: Syrian Arab Army launches offensive against opposition militants near Damascus

Footage shot on Friday in Al-Hamah, in the countryside near Damascus, captures heavy fighting between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and opposition militants. Heavy gunfire and the sounds of explosions can be heard on the footage, as thick smoke billow from surrounding buildings. Tanks can also be seen on the streets of Al-Hamah, as they take part in the operation. According to local media the SAA launched an offensive on positions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and affiliated groups in the area, after the opposition fighters reportedly violated the peace deal by refusing to retreat from Al-Hamah.COURTESY: RT's RUPTLY video agency, NO RE-UPLOAD, NO REUSE - FOR LICENSING, PLEASE, CONTACT http://ruptly.tvRT LIVE http://rt.com/on-airSubscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=RussiaTodayLike us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnewsFollow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_comFollow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/rtFollow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RTListen to us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rttvRT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.