Rebels attack Syrian military positions in Hama province with suicide bombers

DAMASCUS, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Armed militants launched an attack on Syrian military posts using suicide bombers on Tuesday, killing one soldier and wounding four others, according to the state news agency SANA.

The rebels attacked a military position in the countryside of the Mhardeh city in the northern countryside of Hama, said the report.

Two suicide bombers detonated themselves during the attack.

The report said the army foiled the attack, which is not the first.

The rebels in the nearby countryside of Idlib province and rebel-held areas in the northern countryside of Hama have repeatedly attacked military positions around Hama recently.

Earlier this month, as many as 30 Syrian soldiers were killed in a similar attack in Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

The rebels' attacks are considered to be violating the demilitarized zone deal, which was reached between Russia and Turkey last September and covers areas in Idlib and surrounding areas including Hama countryside.

The deal has largely been compromised as the al-Qaida-linked militants, who were supposed to evacuate from the planned demilitarized zones, have actually expanded and controlled the entire Idlib province in northwestern Syria.