The Syria Arab Army (SAA) imposed control of three towns in southeast Idlib a few hours after resuming its ground operations in the region early on January 16.
Army troops stormed the towns of Tell Khatrah, Abu Jurayf and Khirbat Dawud in the morning. The three towns were secured following several hours of clashes with al-Qaeda-affiliated Haya’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies.
Click to see full-size map. Source: (@Suriyakmaps) on Twitter.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the attack was a response to the repeated violations by terrorists in southeast Idlib.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) documented the death of 22 militants, including 16 Jihadists, during the clashes around Tell Khatrah, Abu Jurayf and Khirbat Dawud.
Last week, Russia and Turkey reached a ceasefire agreement on Greater Idlib. However, HTS and its allies sabotaged the agreement by launching a series of rocket attacks on military sites and urban areas around the region.
With the complete collapse of the new ceasefire, the SAA will likely advance further in southeast Idlib in the upcoming few days, if not hours.
