Over 80 Killed Or Wounded After Heavy Syrian, Russian Strikes On Greater Idlib (Videos)
A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
On November 6, a series of Syrian and Russian strikes targeted the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, which is occupied by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies.
Warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out at least four airstrikes on the western outskirts of Idlib city, where HTS maintains a network of headquarters, ammunition depots and training camps.
At around the same time, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a salvo of heavy cluster rockets at the area. The rocket strikes killed nine people and wounded more than 77 others. Some of the casualties were reportedly civilians.
HTS and its allies in the so-called al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operations Room quickly responded to the strikes by shelled several government-held towns and villages around Greater Idlib with rockets, mortars and artillery. In the town of Shathah, a child was wounded.
The SAA and VKS strikes came less than 24 hours after an indirect fire attack that targeted a key military position in the government-held part of the northwestern Hama countryside. The attack, which was carried out by HTS and its allies, claimed the lives of two service members.
The strikes also came amid reports of ongoing preparations by HTS to launch a large-scale drone attack on Russia’s Hmeimim Air Base in the southern Lattakia countryside.
Recently, the SAA and the VKS stepped up their strikes on terrorist groups in Greater Idlib in an attempt to enforce the ceasefire agreement that was brokered by Russia and Turkey well-over two years ago.
HTS and its allies in Greater Idlib, including Turkish-backed factions, are yet to fully adhere to the ceasefire. As a result, the situation in the region remains unstable. Still, the SAA and its allies are not expected to resume ground operations in the region any time soon. Such a step could provoke a military confrontation with Turkey, who maintains a large force in the region.
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