Illustrative image.
On October 15, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) deployed large reinforcements around the northwestern region of Greater Idlib where many terrorist groups are present and active.
The newly-deployed reinforcements included dozens of battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and multiple rocket launchers.
The deployment came following reports of a near large-scale ground operation by the SAA and its allies against al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies in Greater Idlib.
The SAA deployed more reinforcements in Greater Idlib. pic.twitter.com/VWeJJkBPTQ
— Within Syria (@WithinSyriaBlog) October 15, 2021
SAA units around Greater Idlib, namely the elite 25th Special Mission Forces Division, increased their training courses in the last few weeks. Some of the units even trained on air landing operations with helicopters from the Syrian Arab Air Force.
شاهد|| من التدريبات التي يجريها الجيش السوري لكافة عناصره بهدف زيادة الخبرات لدى القوات، وهذا بالتزامن مع معلومات عن ارسال الجيش السوري مزيد من القوات نحو خطوط التماس مع القوات الإRهابية التي تدعمها تركيا. pic.twitter.com/QIHSgjAOy4
— إدلب Online (@idleb_online) October 15, 2021
5th Corpus returned from Hama desert to Eastern Idlib pic.twitter.com/W6FWBXrNmD
— CM (@CaricaMil) October 12, 2021
Turkey, who maintains a large force in Greater Idlib, is reportedly preparing to repel any attack by the SAA and its allies on the region. The Turkish military established two new positions in the southern part of the Syrian region in less than a week.
The ceasefire agreement in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey on 5 March 2020, is barely holding up due to the repeated violation by HTS and its allies.
While Turkey continues to ignore the chaos in Greater Idlib, its military and intelligence are reportedly preparing to embark on a new operation against US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria. The SAA will not likely set aside, it may strike back in Greater Idlib.
Well i hope the Russian air force are going all in if there is a battle in Idlib,this needs finishing once and for all.
Those groups in Idlib are the same groups that exist in Afghanistan.
Bayraktar TB2
Good for the SAA. Eliminate the zionist/turk pigcrap from your country.
swiss/zionist pigs are located throughout Europe, especially the Balkans including Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia etc. These foreign pigs have one task = murder the most patriotic people.
Well we just had a MP murdered in my Country,looks like it was one of those Jihadi pigs responsible,in our case its called blowback.
Inside job.
My point is that traditional military vehicles have become extremely vulnerable. All physical assets are impossible to protect against the relatively inexpensive drones. There is a reason why the Idlib status quo has been stable so long. Neither Erdogan nor Putin want to pay the price of renewed full hostilities. Assad on the other hand can’t tolerate the Turks owning everything north of M-4, M-5. Russian AirPower is unparalleled in the skies over Idlib but as Issis in the central desert has proven, and as the USA has seen in virtually every theater of its 20 year campaign, AirPower alone can’t dislodge dug in ground forces. A major offensive by Syria is a lose lose lose proposition. Putin gains nothing if Assad succeeds and loses nothing if Assad loses. Hence Russia’s investment will be limited to air support and lip service. The Turks pay dearly either way, whether they hold their ground (probably) or whether they lose. But it will be a victory for Erdogan if they hold the ground. Assad will pay and enormous price in blood and treasure and success is hard to imagine. The SAA is simply no match for the Turk. The best outcome is an enduring stalemate along the present line of control. Putin and Erdogan know it. Assad can’t stand the fact but can’t really do anything about it.
Jon, Putin has an interest keeping Hmeimim base safe. Moreover, air power with artillery was effective against the Armenians. It wasnt effective at Afghanistan because Americans dont want to risk their grunts going into villages and mountains and therefore are stuck within bases. This time though, what is being faced is a conventional with irregulars mixed in. Air power can be effective against that especially if the same is complemented by battle hardened troops willing to go in and comb the area. What it boils down to, is whether or not the SAA has an answer to Turkish recon/bombing drones. Pantsirs seem easy targets from the very thing it was supposed to defend. Now, the drones have been upgraded to stay out longer, reach farther, and shoot at greater stand off distances. The SAA will have to come up with an effective solution against these upgraded drones and artillery, preferably at its control point or position.
LG: Putin gets to keep his bases whether or not Assad succeeds in kicking Turks out of north. The forces in Idlib represent very little threat to the Russian bases or the Russia forces stationed there.
Yes that’s right. Turks will kill SAA and SDF, Russians will kill FSA and HTS. The outsiders are the real winners not Syrians.
been lots of talk for many months. Time to get it on
They always make the mistake of advertising what they plan,when they should get their forces in position as quiet as possible then unleash hell at 3am.if you look back to WW2 the greatest invasion in history D-Day,that began with thousands of airborne forces taking vital positions inland from 12am,the main forces started landind on beaches in Normandy at about 06 30hours,to a large extent the Germans were taken by surprise,thats the way it should be done.