A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
Dozens of militants from al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) were reportedly killed or wounded in a series of Russian airstrikes that targeted the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
On August 21, Russian warplanes attacked a command post of the terrorist group near the village of Faylun in the southern Idlib countryside.
Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy director of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, revealed during a later briefing that 17 militants of HTS were killed in the airstrikes. According to the commander, some of the dead were high-ranking commanders of the terrorist group who were responsible for several recent attacks that targeted Syrian government forces in the northern Lattakia countryside and other nearby areas.
It’s worth noting that the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced the downing of three drones, two of which were carrying explosives, over the southern Idlib countryside and the northwestern countryside of Hama on August 21. The attack attempt was likely orchestrated by HTS.
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Russian warplanes carried out more airstrikes on Greater Idlib on August 22 morning. This time the target was an observation post of HTS located between the town of Ma’arrat Misrin and the village of Sheikh Bahr in the northern Idlib countryside.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group, said that three militants of HTS were killed and seven others were wounded in the aerial attack.
More Russian airstrikes hit Greater Idlib overnight between August 22 and 23. Sputnik reported that the airstrikes targeted six command and control posts as well as depots where logistics and drones were stored. According to the Russian news agency, at least 26 militants of HTS were killed in the airstrikes.
The Russian airstrikes were apparently carried out in response to recent violations of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib by HTS and its allies.
In an attempt to further escalate, the terrorist group fired rockets at the town of Qardaha in the southeastern Lattakia countryside on August 23 morning. Qardaha is the hometown of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Citing a source in Lattakia Police, the official Syrian Arab News Agency said that at least five rockets landed near the town, wounding a civilian.
HTS and its allies stepped up their attacks in recent months threatening not only the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, but also normalization talks between Turkey and Syria.
The Russian military group in Syria could launch more airstrikes against the terrorist group in the upcoming days to reinforce the ceasefire in the region. However, a new ground operation against the group remains highly unlikely for the time being.
