Of the over 700 killed, 110 civilians have fallen victim to the raging battles, according to a compilation from the Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR) which monitors the conflict situation in Syria from the UK, with the help of a network of sources on the ground.
At least 360 soldiers on the rebel side and at least 230 soldiers in government forces have been killed, according to these figures.
In the latest week's sudden escalation in northwestern Syria, Islamist groups led by the extreme organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have taken control of the major city of Aleppo and continued to advance southward.
Around 115,000 people in Idlib and northern Aleppo have been forced to flee due to the recent fighting, the UN reported on Wednesday.
Hama Besieged
Government forces, which are under the command of Bashar al-Assad's government in Damascus, have however launched a counter-offensive and struck back harder than before. On Wednesday, it was reported that they had retaken control of two villages.
The President has ordered a 50 percent increase in professional soldiers' salaries, according to a decree issued on Wednesday and published by SOHR. Reservists or veterans are not covered by the salary increase.
The rebels "have besieged the city of Hama from three sides and are now at a distance of three to four kilometers from it", SOHR reported on Wednesday evening. Government forces are said to have "only one way out left towards Homs in the south".
In the fighting there, the award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli was killed in an air raid, his employer, the German news agency DPA, announced.
Countries in Dialogue
Bashar al-Assad remains in power despite the devastating civil war, which was triggered by the Arab Spring in 2011, having ravaged large parts of the country. He does so largely due to support from Russia, Iran, and Iran-backed Shia militias in the region.
Turkey has supported certain resistance groups in northwestern Syria for several years.
Russia, Iran, and Turkey are in "close contact" due to the escalating violence, the Moscow Foreign Ministry announced according to AFP.
