Click to see the full-size image
A new round of escaltion between the Syrian Army and Turksih-backed militant groups, first of all Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) erupted in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone on August 3.
According to pro-government sources, the escalation began with a series of intense strikes on positions of the army in southern Idlib. In response to the attack, the Syrian Army and the Russian Aerospace Forces struck a number of positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham along the contact line.
#Syria: at dawn #RuAF carried out multiple airstrikes on Binnish in E. #Idlib CS, killing 3. pic.twitter.com/2PgUSTsiSs
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) August 3, 2020
The clashes followed a series of incidents, including the canceled joint Turkish-Russian patrol along the M4 highway in southern Idlib.
Reported video from Binnish, NE of #Idlib #Syria ?? pic.twitter.com/U642FCrvep
— Aleph א The Reaper (@no_itsmyturn) August 3, 2020
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants also claimed that they had shot down a Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle in northwestern Hama.
Click to see the full-size image
The current round of escalation is a logical result of the current situation in Greater Idlib, where the ‘opposition-held area’ is still controlled by various terrorist groups supported by Turkey.
