On July 2, Syrian government forces repelled an attack by militants of Jaish al-Izza in the area of Tal Bazam in northern Hama.
Government positions attacked by militants are located north of a Turkish observation post near the militant-held town of Morek. The observation post is intended to monitor the de-escalation zone agreement in the area.
Jaish al-Izza is one of the key allies of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) in the militant-held parts of Idlib, Hama and Aleppo provinces.
The continued attacks by militants on the Syrian Army and its allies show gaps in the de-escalation zone agreement reached by Turkey, Iran and Russia in the so-called Astana format.
The problem of this agreement that Turkish forces and their proxies are not hurrying up to combat Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and linked groups in their zone of responsibility in western Idlib.
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