Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies repelled a large-scale attack by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) on their newly-established positions in the villages of Jibeen and Tell Meleh in northern Hama on June 15.
According to several sources, the SAA advanced in the early hours of the morning and stormed both villages under the cover of Syrian and Russian warplanes. However, the terrorists didn’t withdraw and managed to push the army back after a series of successful defensive operations.
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Iba’a, HTS’s news network, said that the terrorists damaged two BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), destroyed a battle tank and captured another during the clashes in northern Hama.
A coalition of HTS, the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL) and al-Qaeda affiliated factions captured Jibeen and Tell Meleh in a surprise attack earlier this month.
The recent ceasefire agreement has apparently provided HTS and its allies with the time needed to fortify their positions in Jibeen and Tell Meleh. This allowed the terrorists to repel the SAA initial push. However, the upcoming few hours may witness more attacks by the army.
