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On February 25, a guided missile strike by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) killed a militant of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and wounded another in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
The strike targeted an engineering vehicle of the terrorist group that was building fortifications near the town of Fleifel in the southern Idlib countryside. The SAA artillery shelled the town with heavy artillery after the strike. However, no additional casualties were reported.
The SAA’s missile and artillery strikes on Felifel were likely a response to recent violations of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib by HTS. The terrorist group resumed attacks against the army just days after the February 6 Turkish-Syrian earthquake, which left hundreds dead in the region and in nearby government-held areas.
HTS’ snipers targeted SAA troops across the frontline around Greater Idlib on countless occasions over the last two weeks.
In addition, the terrorist group attacked last week a military position near the town of Mashariya in the northern Lattakia countryside with drones. Four soldiers were wounded in the attack, according to the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria.
Despite repeated violations by HTS, the ceasefire in Greater Idlib will not likely collapse anytime soon. The SAA and allies will not resume ground operations in the region until Turkey withdraws its forces. This is one of Damascus’ top demands in the ongoing normalization talks with Ankara.
