A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
On August 30, a wave of Russian airstrikes hit the northwestern Syrian region of Grater Idlib, which is controlled by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The pinpoint Russian airstrikes destroyed several positions of HTS and its allies near the towns of Kansafra and al-Bara in the southern Idlib countryside. No casualties were reported, however. Video footage showing one of the airstrikes surfaced on social media.
The airstrikes were likely carried out in response to the recent violation of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib by HTS and its allies.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on August 31 that two officers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) were reportedly killed in indirect fire attacks on the Greater Idlib front in the last 24 hours. Several other service members were wounded.
Earlier this month, two waves of Syrian and Russian strikes hit Greater Idlib, killing or wounding dozens of militants of HTS and its allies, inclinding the Turkistan Islamic Party and Ansar al-Tawhid. However, the terrorist groups continue to escalate.
Turkey, who maintains a large force in Greater Idlib to monitor the ceasefire, has been doing nothing to stop the provocative behavior of HTS and its allies.
The repeated violations could eventually force the SAA and its allies to resume ground operations in Greater Idlib. Nevertheless, without coordination with the Turkish military, this could lead to a very dangerous confrontation in the region.
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