Illustrative image.
Late on November 28, clashes broke out between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and militants in the southern part of the Greater Idlib region.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the clashes took place north of the government-held town of Saraqib. The two sides exchanged heavy machine gun fire. However, no losses were reported.
Saraqib is located right on the strategic M5 highway, which links Hama with Aleppo. Traffic at the highway slowed down a day earlier as a result of similar clashes.
Earlier in the day, the SAA shelled militants’ positions in the southern part of Greater Idlib. Some of the artillery rounds fired by the army landed right next to a Turkish post in the outskirts of the village of Maarrat Alia without causing any damage.
The shelling was likely a response to recent violations of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey last year.
The SAA and its allies managed to reopen the M5 highway last year following a fierce battle with al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib, and its Turkish-backed allies. The militants failed to hold onto the highway despite receiving direct support from the Turkish military.
The clashes near the M5 are a dangerous escalation. The situation in Greater Idlib has been slowly spinning out of control for the last few months. The collapse of the ceasefire would likely lead to a military confrontation between the SAA and the Turkish military.
