A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) had carried out strikes against militants preparing to launch attacks from the northwestern region of Greater Idlib, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on October 20.
In a statement, the ministry said that the joint strikes destroyed headquarters and caves used as command centers, training facilities and ammunition depots, in addition to positions used for training and staging attacks against government forces.
The strikes killed or wounded “dozens” of militants most of whom were members of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the Turkistan Islamic Party, the ministry said, listing the names of 13 confirmed fatalities.
Video footage released by the ministry shows pinpoint artillery and air strikes destroying caves, fortified positions and military equipment.
Earlier this week, the SAA and the VKS carried out a similar wave of strikes after attacks with drones on government-held areas in Aleppo and Idlib. Dozens of militants were reportedly killed or wounded in the joint strikes.
The escalation in Greater Idlib began following a drone attack that targeted the annual graduation ceremony at the Syrian Military Academy near the central city of Homs on October 5. The attack claimed the lives of 89 civilians and service members and left more than 277 other wounded.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the drone attack. However, evidence indicates that HTS or one of its allies was responsible.
Despite recent escalation, the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered more than three years ago by Russia and Turkey, is still holding up. The SAA and VKS will likely keep pressure on HTS and its allies in the region in order to enforce the ceasefire.
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