Illustrative image
On November 18, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) foiled an attempt by Jaysh al-Izza to attack several military positions protecting civilian areas in the northern Hama countryside, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
In details, a group of Jaysh al-Izza militants advanced towards the government-held towns of Zlin and Khirbet in order to attack military positions north of them. However, the SAA detected the group and targeted it with light weapons from a close distance.
“A state of panic prevailed among the terrorists as they were surprised that their infiltration was exposed,” said the SANA’s reporter in Hama, who also confirmed that the militants withdrew back to their positions.
Jaysh al-Izza, which controls several areas in the northern and northwestern Hama countryside, is a close ally of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria. Since the announcement of the Russian-Turkish deconfliction agreement, the group has stepped up its attacks on the SAA, likely upon orders from HTS’ leadership.
