Hayat Tahrir al-Sham executes two suspects of VBIED explosion in Jisr al-Shughur

The largest militant group in opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has executed two suspect persons in Idlib today, in conjunction with an explosion targeting the center of the city, in the context of the continued security tensions in the region. 

According to local activists on social media, “HTS” previously known as al-Nusra Front has executed two persons, accused of “detonating a car bomb in the city of Jisr al-Shughur in the western countryside of Idlib”. 

Meanwhile, the same sources reported an explosive device was detonated in the area of Wadi al-Naseem in the city of Idlib, causing material damage, with no reports regarding human casualties.

Media sources from the opposition-held areas had previously confirmed that HTS had executed one of the suspects in the same bombing, which occurred in April 2019, killing and injuring dozens of people.  

Idlib province has witnessed a recent decline in the pace of assassinations and killings, which affected hundreds of civilians, militants and military commanders of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities.  

According to local sources, assassination operations have risen the resentment of the residents of Idlib and adjacent areas, where some of which were carried out by members of ISIS sleeper cells. 

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the assassination operations have been escalated since April 2018, killing hundreds and injuring dozens of others, including children and women.