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For the first time in more than four years, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) announced that its cells had carried out an attack against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the governorate of Deir Ezzor.
“After close observation and surveillance of a group of officers of the 4the Division in the criminal regime’s army in Deir Ezzor, a group of behind the [enemy’s] line Mujahedeen managed to carry out an operation against the division’s personnel. The heroes sneaked behind the enemy’s line, in the middle of its bases and its areas, and clashed with the targeted group,” a statement released by HTS on March 28 reads.
The terrorist group claimed that its operatives killed two Syrian service members and injured many others in the surprise attack. However, it presented no evidence to back its claims.
Deir Ezzor was one of the fist strongholds of the al-Nusra Front [the former name of HTS] in Syria. However, the terrorist group lost all of its positions there to ISIS in 2014. Back then, hundreds of the group’s fighters defected and joined the self-proclaimed caliphate.
HTS is likely trying to reestablish its influence in eastern Syria in order to pressure the SAA and raise the morale of its radical supports, who were shocked by the group’s defeats in central and southern Syria during 2018.
“HTS is likely trying to reestablish its influence in eastern Syria in order to pressure the SAA”
They are certainly welcome to try and see what happens.
How are they gonna do that, with an airdrop?