HTS source: Syria’s coastal mountains, Jisr al-Shughur will witness wide military operation
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – A source from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) said on Monday that the coastal mountain area and Jisr al-Shghur would witness a wide military operation by the Syrian government and Russia.
The source pointed out that the date of the operation was not yet set.
“Jisr al-Shghur is an important area for the Russian project, which is trying to master the warm water,” the source, who goes by Abu Obada Idlibi, told North Press.
“The coastal mountains form a direct threat to the Russian bases on the coastal area,” according to Idlibi.
“This battle is included within the framework of the Russian-Turkish understandings and it will be accompanied with very intense Russian air support, as it will burn dozens of fighters whom both sides consider to be against the Astana understandings,” the source believes.
Russian-Turkish joint strategy in Idlib includes the stability of the region and the elimination of “terrorist militants and organizations,” according to the 2018 Sochi Agreement and the last memorandum of understanding last March.
The Idlib de-escalation zone is one of the most important areas of Russian-Turkish cooperation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in September.
One of the most important Russian-Turkish agreements is “to separate the moderate opposition from extremists,” Lavrov added.
Earlier the same month, joint Russian-Turkish military maneuvers took place for the first time, during which training was held to target armed groups that refused reconciliation.
Approaching military operation
“The news of the upcoming battle has never stopped, and there are expectations of a military operation at any moment, but there is nothing yet,” a source from the Syrian National Army in Idlib said.
This came in conjunction with the stalled Russian-Turkish military talks regarding the Karabakh region in Azerbaijan, which was witnessing successive developments and a sharp disagreement between the two parties regarding the deployment of peacekeepers in the region.
Observers believe that these disputes will affect the relationship between the two parties in Idlib, which will be an arena for response and exchanging sharp messages.
“On the military level, the regime forces and their auxiliary militias are still bringing more fighters and raising their readiness to involve them in an unidentified battle,” Omar Hashmi, a political analyst from Turkey said.
“Dozens of fighters from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces arrive daily and are distributed in an operations area of about 80 kilometers in length,” Hashmi added.
Alarming mobilizations
“The military operation may not be open, but all indicators of mobilization warn of an imminent danger,” he added.
Additionally, Turkey is reinforcing its military presence and points with vehicles, infantry, and equipment, and “this means the possibility of an approaching attack, as well as the opposition groups represented by the National Liberation Front, strengthening their positions and countering dozens attempts by regime forces to advance,” according to Hashimi.
In its recent attacks on the de-escalation zones in Idlib, Russian air forces entered deep into the Idlib Governorate.
The Russian Air Force targeted training camps of the Sham Legion, which is affiliated with the National Front for Liberation.
Syrian government forces are trying to fabricate tactical battles that are described as exhausting to the armed opposition groups, while strengthening their military posts with modern weapons, Hashimi believes.
Government forces are draining some weak points in the exhausting operations while they are preparing militarily for “operations to control areas that are not run by them,” according to the political analyst.