Assad regime forces backed by Russian air support and Iranian militias have clashed with Turkey-backed moderate opposition forces in Saraqib, northwestern Syria, reports said Monday.

Clashes are taking place in the suburbs of Saraqib, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

The Syrian National Army (SNA), an alliance of moderate opposition forces supported by Turkey took control of the strategic town on Feb. 27.

Saraqib is on a strategic crossroad connecting the country’s two main highways, M4 and M5. The M4 motorway connects the port city of Latakia to the Iraqi border, while the M5 forms the backbone of the country's highways, connecting the economic hub of Aleppo to the central cities of Hama and Homs, the capital Damascus and to the Jordanian border further south.

The Bashar Assad regime seized Saraqib in a Russian-backed assault in February.

The opposition forces backed by Turkey are continuing their advance with intense artillery cover fire.

The Assad regime has been on the offensive since December to capture and reopen the M5 highway held by the opposition since 2012, despite a cease-fire deal brokered late last year between Russia and Turkey.