Government forces hit Turkish post amid escalation in NW Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Syrian government forces launched on Friday heavy artillery strikes on a Turkish military post east of Idlib in northwestern Syria amid ongoing military escalation in the area.
A leader within the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, once known as al-Nusra Front) told North Press that four artillery shells hit the Post B7 belonging to the Turkish forces near the village of Maarat Naasan, east of Idlib, though no injuries were reported.
In response, Turkish forces launched retaliatory shelling on posts of the Syrian government forces in the city of Saraqib, also in the east of Idlib.
The source further added that three HTS militants were killed and five others were injured due to concentrated government artillery strikes on their posts in the towns of Taftanaz and Sarmin.
Shelling also continued along conflict fronts west of Hama and targeted several villages and towns in Zawiya Mountain, south of Idlib.
Additionally, two civilians were seriously injured by government artillery fire that struck the villages of Kafr Nouran, Kafr Taal, and Maarbalit, as well as the town of Darat Izza in the west of Aleppo, according to the source.
In response, the HTS conducted shelling on Base 46 and Base 111 in the same area.