An Su-24 taking off from Hmeimim air base in 2015. IMAGE: Russian Ministry of Defense
On the afternoon of February 28, warplanes of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out several airstrikes on militants’ targets in the southern Idlib countryside.
The Syrian pro-government blog, al-Masdar News, claimed that only Syrian warplanes were involved and the airstrikes targeted a convoy of radical militants that was moving between the towns of Saraqib and Khan Shaykhun. However, this is yet to be confirmed.
The aerial attack was a response to a several recent violations of the Russian-Turkish demilitarized zone agreement. Most of these violations were carried out by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its close ally, Jaysh al-Izza.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that HTS and its allies are developing their offensive capabilities and planning to expand their influence in northwestern Syria.
Despite of the deteriorating situation in the demilitarized zone, Russia and its allies are apparently still committed to the agreement with Turkey.
High time to rid Syria for good of that viper nest of the Idlib militants terrorists.
If this rain means next SAA-hezbolah-Iran-Russia ground offensive, it makes sense. Otherwise, just it is another fighting back without any relevant change of situation.
your article is not correct……
no russian planes were involved in the latest bombing in Idlib…….just Syrian airforce carried out the bombings!!!!! almasda News!!!!!!
so why the fuck …here at southfront are u Posting bullshit…..you got the news from almasda News…….and it clearly states… the bombings were carried out by SYRIAN AIRFORCE!!!!!
cut the bs.
Just shut your f$ck up. We already know that only reason you being here is Russia bashing.
Well, he may be what he always has been.. But as Al Masdar is closely connected to Syrian gov and millitary, and indeed no RuAF was there, it is important to know.
I have been supportive of Russias Syria policy since its start, but i guess not only me but even the most loyal are starting to loose faith. Or at least wonder when Russia will finally take a stand against Turkey.
If not soon, they will continue to rebrand HTS into “opposition” and then the offensive we all wait for since last year will be even further away.
Now that today came the news here on SF that Putin shared intelligence on Iranian positions in Syria with Bibi, one HAS to wonder wtf is going on..
here is the exact almasda News Posting..i copied it!!!
BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:20 P.M.) – Minutes ago, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) unleashed a heavy attack on a jihadist convoy that was seen moving through the eastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate. According to a military source in Aleppo city, the Syrian Air Force bombed a Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham convoy that was traveling along the Saraqib Highway towards the northeastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate.
In addition to their strikes on the Saraqib Highway, the Syrian Air Force also bombarded Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s positions inside the town of Khan Al-Subul in eastern Idlib. This latest round of airstrikes by the Syrian Air Force comes just an hour after Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham launched missiles and artillery shells into Aleppo city.
southfront…..you just showed your true face……..
Zionist assholes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
russian – Zionist pricksssssssssss
hhmmmmmm, they deleted the comments of the dude that was saying this website is zionist, interesting facts coming out…
can’t they rain hell on the squatters instead – much more appreciated if the video shows them, the squatters, swimming towards cyprus.
Well of course they could, but the wailing would drive the whole world mad. I don’t understand this obsession people have with saving Arabs? Why can’t Arabs defend their own lands? Israel could not function without Arab labour. The war in Syria could not have started without Arabs willing to fight against their own kind.
The squatters in Gaza?
a squatter is a person that illegally occupies a land-area or a building so in palestine there is just one squatting group and that group is running a concentration camp a la hitlers bergen belsen and where the prominent feature is the ethnic cleansing program towards DEPALESTINATION or a land, stolen, completely free of palestinians, nicht judenfrei aber palestinenfrei. and in between the squatters shoot stone-throwing kids and steal more land and starv the palestinian population, all in all a crime against humanity which needs to be addressed by the world at large in the following manner
– all countries that has recognized ‘israel’ at one stage shall and must revoke its earlier recognition and so to say de-recognize the country and thus remove the legitimacy of israel.
– stop all financial subsidies from abroad to israel, which can’t survive without substantial contributions of a pecuniary kind and
– make the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions-movement something to count.
so now you know, the squatters are worse than the plague!
That’s the ones I was speaking of. The Palestinians are the indigenous people of the land. The Juice are an infestation.
Those squatters are of course the psychotic Jewish freaks that have NO rights to that land…
Finaly, why should they still be commited to the Turks? They only created chaos, stole what ever was movable, ore is Russia swaping Syria for Turkey.
Don’t confuse pragmatism with commitment.
Could it be that the Russians are more interested in selling the S400 to Turkey than driving them out of Syria. I know it was a big decision to enter Syria in the first place and take on the US/UK/Fr and NATO but its time to drive the boot in and in hard.
The S400 sale is chicken shit money. The real money is in gas sales, keeping the Bosporus open is also a big deal for Russia.
Thing is Russia doesn’t need Turkey – Turkey NEEDS Russia. The real deal here is turkey can be used as good leverage against US and FUKUS in syria – which is the real reason why negotiations happen. Otherwise, Idlib offensive would have started back in September 2018.
Both need each others you know that
Why does Russia has to do it? Decision to help Syrian is mostly about helping to the ally and to protect Tartus base. It’s the tactical task. The strategical task is to reduce USA influence in the region and to show to the other countries that if you are together with Russia and China have no fear of the USA.
Right now all is developing quite well. Russia does not needs to defeat the HTS, but to help them to morph from insurgents to a political party for resolving their problems not with guns, but in the parliament.
Well said
You must be naive to think that Al- Qaeda wants to become a political party, their goal is the same as the Muslimbrothers.
You do understand that “HTS” which is just a new fancy name for the US run “al Qaeda” is absolutely controlled by the US…..
@northerntruthseeker:disqus and @eltahar:disqus most of HTS fighters are just brainwashed mercenaries. Do you really think that every HTS fighter has a contract with CIA? Russia has very positive experience of socializing ex “mujahedeen” in Chechnya. I.E. both father and son Kadyrov fought against Russia in 1st Chechnya war and on the Russia’s side in the 2nd Chechnya war. I think it will be a very plain choice: or you lay down your guns and try to became good citizen, or you will die. This is the option which can satisfy Turkey, Syria, Russia and Iran.
While USA really needs a blood-lust war between HTS and SAA, because it will weak Turkey, Syria, Iran and even maybe Russia. And also it will make SDF stronger because of weakening it’s opponents.
Russia don’t want to get involved .Syria can be there second Afghanistan very dangerous on the ground for them
Rains Hell On = Drops Bombs in Vicinity of