Illustrative Image
On January 27, a large explosion rocked the town of Aqrabat in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, which is occupied by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and several other terrorist groups.
Aqrabat, which is known to be a stronghold of HTS, is located in the northern Idlib countryside, just a few kilometers away from the border line with Turkey.
Syrian opposition activists said that the explosion was the result of a strike that was carried out by an unidentified combat drone. The target was allegedly an ammunition depot of HTS. The activists didn’t report any casualties as a result of the strike.
At least five combat drones of the Turkish military, who maintain a large presence in Greater Idlib to monitor a ceasefire brokered more than two years ago, were reportedly flying over the region at the time of the explosion. This is not unusual, however.
The reports of a drone strike on Greater Idlib came just two days after an unidentified combat drone killed Ahrar al-Sham Movement commander Saddam al-Musa in the Turkish-occupied part of the northern Aleppo countryside. Al-Musa, also known as “Abu Uday Aulan,” was one of HTS’s top allies.
HTS violated the ceasefire in Greater Idlib on many occasions in the last few weeks. The terrorist group raided several positions of the Syrian military and reportedly launched at least two drone attacks.
The recent violations were apparently meant to sabotage Russia’s ongoing efforts to restore ties between Ankara and Damascus. HTS fears that these efforts could lead to a Turkish withdrawal from Greater Idlib. A withdrawal that would leave it exposed to the Syrian military and its allies.
The explosion at Aqrabat may have been the result of a Russian retaliatory strike. Russia, a guarantor of the ceasefire, has been operating combat drones over Syria for a few years now.
