On May 27, helicopters of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) drooped thousands of leaflets over the towns of Haram, Sarmada, Ram Hamdan and the Kamonah refugee camp in the northern governorate of Idlib. In these leaflets, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) called on militants to surrender their weapons and to join the reconciliation process, according to the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi.
By Enab Baladi, Click to see full-size image
Such leaflets are usually dropped by SyAAF as a warning ahead of military operations. However, Syrian pro-government activists believe that the leaflets which were dropped over Idlib were only a part of the ongoing psychological war against Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The Syrian intelligence might be also trying to exploit the recent unrest in northern Syria. Over the last month, more than 100 fighters and commanders of HTS and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) were assassinated in Idlib. Many of these militants were even killed in the towns, which the SyAAF dropped its leaflets over.
HTS accused the Syrian and Russian intelligence of being responsible for most of the assassinations in its areas. On May 19, HTS even publicly executed four civilians after accusing them of being “spies” of the Syrian Military Intelligence.
To have an idea of these leaflets’ contents, I wish SF translated a few. My Arabic is not that good, but anyway here’s a rough translation. Arabic speaking friends, please correct anything you see necessary. Thank you:
Top Right: Peace is the best Ruling Our beloved people: How long you and your families will live in fear and anxiety? How long your children remain without future and hope? The war is near it’s end,.. It’s time to stop bloodshed and destruction We invite you to join local reconciliation as many of our people in Syria did. Help the SAA to free you from the rule of terrorists among you and protect your lives and your families’. Let’s work together to restore peace and security and start reconstruction
Top Left: Decide your destiny. What are you waiting for, you armed militant?
You no longer have any hope to receive help from the ones who paid you to kill and destroy. They live in hotels and receive [salary in] dollars and you live by scraps. You have no way but laying down your arms or face certain death. Take advantage of this last opportunity and throw away your weapon and settle your situation
… to be continued
Thanks for translation.
Yes well you have some 95% accurate translation here, few spell errors but pretty much that’s it.
I seriously doubt there will be any offensive in Idlib by the SAA, because the Rebels would make deals to get the Turks to support them directly.
Idlib is the most logical area for the next offensive, the US is too prickly about the southern area bordering Israel. Clearly the area has been infiltrated by spies making it easy to pick off the most high-value targets, and eventually make a deal to move the rest on east.
Drone attacks on Russian bases would probably stop as well.
Erdogan’s circled the wagons [OB posts} around Idlib and the only way in is over the dead bodies of Turkish soldiers. It may happen eventually but not anytime soon I don’t think. Iran may be cooperating with Russia and Turkey in Idlib but it always seems to be the FSA and SLF that benefit the most from the arrangements, even HTS doesn’t fare too badly all things considered, it’s only the SAA that ever seem to be consistently badly done by in any of these arrangements. In most likelihood, Erdogan’s at this very moment trying to broker another ceasefire and truce between the SLF/FSA and HTS to make things even harder for the SAA. Don’t hold your breathe waiting for another offensive in Idlib, Erdogan stopped the SAA’s spectacular advances there when he erected the first 2 unsanctioned OB posts there even before the Astana agreement was signed. Dier ez-Zor and the Isis fighters there I think are a way higher priority. There’s supposed to be only 1500 fighters there ATM, I think that’s way too low an estimate and it’s more like 5 to 10,000 fighters, but even if the low estimate is right, they have between 1,200 and 1,700 fighters joining them from Yarmouk camp now, which will boost even their very low estimate up to a max of 3200 fighters. If the SAA attack them here while they’re isolated in the desert and consolidating the 2 groups, it should be the perfect time for the SAA and Russia to finally put and end to Isis in all SAA territory. As well as that the US and the Kurds are at this very moment attacking the only other 2 pockets of Isis left in Syria, which means all 3 pockets are isolated from each other and all fighting for their existence at the same time, perfect target and timing from my perspective. The pocket of Isis in Dier ez-Zor should be the easiest, fastest and far less expensive in lives,[both military and civilian] to recapture. As well this area would be a benefit to Syria’s economy, by totally securing the oil fields there and allowing them to come back to full production. Idlib on the other hand would be nothing but a burden on Syria’s economy and take a lot of SAA forces to keep totally secure, not what Assad needs at the moment. A win for the SAA here would be a great moral booster too, and hopefully even possibly lower the rebels moral and resolve at the same time. After Dier ez-Zor Darra should be next target but hopefully diplomacy will prevail there and some arrangements can be made negating the need to altogether. Then on to Idlib. Sorry for writing a bible if you read it all.