HTS sneak attack kills, wounds 30 members of government forces in NW Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) killed and injured around 30 members of the Syrian government forces on Saturday in Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria.
A military source within the Syrian opposition told North Press on Sunday that HTS militants detonated military posts of the government forces in the village of al-Malaja in Zawiya Mountain in the south of Idlib, after reportedly digging a tunnel under those posts.
The source added that blowing up the tunnel led to the killing of 12 soldiers and wounding of 17 others. He also noted that the HTS destroyed a tank of the government forces in the town of Hazarin in the same area.
After the attack, mutual shelling and heavy clashes erupted between the government forces and the HTS in that area. Moreover, Russian warplanes targeted with over six airstrikes on the villages of Sfuhen and Fatterah in the south of Idlib.
A military sources within the al-Fateh al-Mubin Operations Room reported that HTS managed to deter an attempt of advancement by government forces in al-Malaja.
The source said the detonation of government forces is the first major military escalation in months in northwest Syria.
Although the de-escalation zone in northwest Syria is subject to a Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement signed in March 2020, the area witnesses frequent mutual bombardment despite the entry of the ceasefire into force.
In March 2020, Russia and Turkey reached an agreement in Moscow that stipulated a ceasefire, the establishment of a safe corridor, and the conduct of joint patrols on the M4/Aleppo-Latakia Highway.