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Late on June 27, several rockets were fired from the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib at al-Qardahah, the hometown of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the southeastern countryside of Lattakia.
According to local sources in al-Qardahah, only two rocket actually reached the town. Both rockets landed in empty farmlands. No causalities or material losses were reported.
The rocket attack was reportedly carried out by al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al-Tawhid. The group is a close ally of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib. Sources in the region claimed that “new heavy rockets” were used in the attack.
Click to see full-size map. Source: (@Suriyakmaps) on Twitter, Via Google Maps – TerraMetrics.
The attack was a blatant violation of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey on March 5 of last year. The ceasefire is barely holding up.
HTS and its allies in Greater Idlib intensified their rocket attacks on nearby government-held areas this month. On June 20, a rocket attack on the town of Jurin in the northwestern Hama countryside claimed the life of a little girl. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies responded with a series of fierce strikes on militants’ positions. At least seven militants were killed.
The rocket attack on al-Qardahah will not likely go unpunished. The SAA has been targeting HTS and its allies nonstop. Earlier today, a militant was killed in the southern countryside of Idlib by army fire.
