A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
On July 25, video footage showing recent Russian airstrikes on the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib surfaced online.
The airstrikes destroyed a stronghold of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib. It is unclear when the airstrikes exactly took place. However, it is possible that the video is from last June, when a series of Russian airstrikes hit the terrorist group’s positions in the region.
HTS and its allies escalated their attacks in recent months, undermining the ceasefire in Greater Idlib that was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than three years ago.
In response, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Russian military group in the country stepped up air and artillery strikes on the region.
The escalation is thought to be an attempt by HTS and its allies to sabotage the Turkish-Syrian normalization process which is sponsored by both Russia and Iran. The militants fear that an agreement between Ankara and Damascus could lead to a Turkish withdrawal from the region. This would leave the door open for the SAA to resume ground operations there.
The normalization process remains unaffected by the escalation in Greater Idlib. The intelligence chiefs of Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran are set to hold a new round of talks on the process in Moscow on July 27.
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