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On May 29, heavy clashes broke out between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the southern Idlib countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The London-based monitoring group claimed that the clashes began, when the army launched an attack on militants’ positions around the town of Fatterah.
According to the SOHR, five service members of the SAA and its allies were killed in the clashes. HTS also lost at least three of its militants.
“The death toll is still expected to rise, as some of the wounded are in a critical condition,” the SOHR’s report reads.
The SOHR claims are questionable as pro-government sources didn’t report any attack on HTS’ positions in Fatterah. Furthermore, the claims on losses in the SAA ranks are yet to be verified.
HTS and its allies violate the ceasefire in Greater Idlib on a regular basis. A day earlier, the militants announced that they were preparing to repel a new large-scale attack by the SAA in the region. The announcement was likely designed to justify their own ceasefire violations.
