Syrian troops liberate Al-Halba in southeastern Idlib — agency

The Syrian armed forces entered the town of Al Halba in the southeast of the Idlib governorate, an outpost of the Jabhat al-Nusrah terrorist group (outlawed in Russia), the SANA news agency reported on Saturday night.

According to the agency, the town was completely liberated from terrorists.

On Saturday, militants of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group, supported by armed opposition members from the Syrian National Army, attempted two attacks on positions held by pro-government forces near the town of Jarjanaz of the Idlib governorate. Troops and militia units forced the enemy to retreat, destroying at least 30 militants and two vehicles.

According to the Al Ahbar newspaper, terrorists and Syrian armed opposition groups who support them had violated a yet another ceasefire in Idlib, declared in the beginning of the week. They expected to take advantage of bad weather and regain control over territories surrounding the city of Maaret Naaman on the strategic Damascus-Aleppo highway.

On December 19, the Syrian army launched an offensive in the Idlib province. Within a few days, Syrian troops recaptured 46 inhabited communities. They regained control over the territory of 320 square kilometers, which had been controlled by the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group and armed groups collaborating with it.

Idlib is the only region in Syria, which remains under the control of illegal armed groups. In 2017, the northern de-escalation zone was set up there, with militants who refused to lay down arms in Eastern Ghouta and Syria’s southern regions moving there. There are 12 observation posts of the Turkish army in that province.