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Chief propagandist of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-factor ruler of the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, confirmed on July 15 that the terrorist group and its Turkish-backed allies are planning a large-scale attack on the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
Citing “special sources,” Taher al-Omar said in a post on his Telegram channel that HTS and its allies could launch their attack when Turkey kicks off its long-awaited new military operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria’s northern region.
“The operation of the Turkish military and the Syrian National Army on Tell Rifaat, Manbij and their surroundings in the countryside of Aleppo is nearing, and according to the course of the battle, the military operation will not stop in Tell Rifaat, Manbij and their surroundings, it will continue towards Raqqa and its countryside, and on the other side, a military operation is likely to be launched by the Al-Fateh Al-Mubeen Military Operations Room in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo,” the post reads.
All factions in Greater Idlib coordinate their defensive and offensive operations through the al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operations Room, which is led by HTS.
The information provided by al-Omar are especially important. The man is not only the main mouth piece of HTS, but also a close acquaintance of the terrorist group leader Abu Mohamad al-Julani. Al-Omar’s information confirms recent reports which talked about a near Turkish-backed attack by HTS and its allies on government-held areas in the western Aleppo countryside and the southern countryside of Idlib.
Any attack in Greater Idlib will make it easier for Turkey to move against the SDF in the northern region. Such an attack will distract the SAA and its allies and prevent them from providing any meaningful support to the group.
With support from the Russian Aerospace Forces, the SAA should be able to repel any attack by HTS and its allies. The army could even take advantage of the situation and resume its advance in Greater Idlib. This would mark the end of the Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement which was brokered more than two years ago.
