Screen grab from one of the videos released by the NFL.
Greater Idlib militants continue to shell government-held areas in support of Daraa’s former rebels who are being pressured by Syrian authorities to hand over their arms and leave the southern governorate.
On August 5 and 6, the National Front for Liberation (NFL), Turkey’s main proxy group in Greater Idlib, pounded government-held areas in the southern countryside of Idlib and the northwestern Hama countryside with Soviet-made M-46 130 field guns.
The NFL’s artillery strikes were a blatant violation of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey last year. No casualties or material losses were reported as a result of the strikes.
Turkish-backed militants are not the only side backing Daraa’s former rebels in Greater Idlib. On July 31, al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the de-facto ruler of the region, released a statement promising to escalate attacks on government-held areas in support of Daraa.
Daraa crisis is yet to be resolved as local leaders continue to reject the demands set by Syrian authorities. The Syrian Arab Army may launch a military operation in Daraa al-Balad, the southern part of Daraa city, soon.
The repeated attacks by Greater Idlib militants will not likely do Daraa’s former rebels any good. In fact, these attacks are only leading to more escalation in the northwestern region.
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