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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery shelled dozens of positions of radical militants in the southeastern Idlib countryside and the northern Hama countryside on February 13.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the shelling hit the towns of al-Lataminah, Lahaya, Maarkaba, al-Buwaydah, Qalaat al-Madiq, al-Hwaiz, al-Twinah and al-Hurriyah in Hama and the towns of Sukayk, Khan Shaykhun and al-Tamanah in Idlib.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said that the artillery strikes were a response to recent violations of the Russian-Turkish demilitarized zone agreement. Radical militants are not allowed to have any presence within a 15-20km deep zone around the Idlib de-escalation zone under the agreement.
“The strikes foiled the militants’ attacks and infected heavy losses on their fighters and equipment” the SANA’s reporter in Hama said.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian-Turkish agreement is temporary and stressed that radicals should be neutralized. The minister also revealed that the situation in Idlib will be discussed during Sochi summit on February 14.
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