Preparations underway for the Syrian army’s major operation in Idlib

With most parts of the Syrian territories being brought back under the control of the government, all eyes are now on Idlib and East of Euphrates, as two major areas still our of Damascus’ control. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Syrian army is being prepared for the long-awaited military operation against the terrorists in Idlib.

کد خبر: ۸۸۴۲۵۱

تاریخ: ۱۸ اسفند ۱۳۹۷ - ۱۴:۱۷

Tabnak – With most parts of the Syrian territories being brought back under the control of the government, all eyes are now on Idlib and East of Euphrates, as two major areas still our of Damascus’ control. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Syrian army is being prepared for the long-awaited military operation against the terrorists in Idlib.

In one of the recent developments regarding the Syrian conflict, Syrian forces have reportedly thwarted an infiltration attempt by terrorist groups in Hama’s northern countryside, inflicting major losses on them.

Clashes broke out on the edge of the northwestern Idlib province as the militants attempted to move towards Syrian military posts in Hama northern countryside, SANA reported. The terrorists moved from the direction of al-Sermaniye and Duwair al-Akrad in al-Ghab plain area in Hama countryside on Friday.

During the counterattack, dozens of the militants were killed and many others fled the battlefield, the report added. The areas where the clashes broke out are located in a planned buffer zone, which surrounds Idlib and also parts of the adjacent provinces of Aleppo and Hama.

Under a deal reached following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in September, all militants should have withdrawn from the demilitarization zone by October 15.

However, al-Qaeda-linked Takfiri terrorists said they refuse to either leave the buffer zone or hand over their weapons.

Meanwhile, a prominent military and strategic expert says that the countdown has started for operations to liberate Idlib to end the terrorist activities in the strategic region.

Hanna Atiq was quoted by the Arabic-language service of Sputnik news agency as saying that the recent offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) against the Syrian army positions was conducted with the support of its ally, Turkey, with the aim of showing power, adding that military operations is the only solution left to end the terrorist activities after failure of political efforts.

He added that Turkey has not fully implemented the Sochi agreement, noting that the country wants a bigger role in Northeastern Syria and therefore, it is after disarming the Kurds and establishment of a secure border line with Syria before fulfilling its undertakings.

Idlib and some surrounding areas are the last major bastions of Takfiri terrorists and anti-government militants in Syria, where the Syrian government has in recent months retaken much of the territory it had lost since the conflict erupted in the country in 2011.