2712070 10/04/2015 Russian servicemen attach a Kh-25 high-precision missile to a Su-24 aircraft at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Dmitriy Vinogradov/RIA Novosti
On December 29, Russian media sources shared a video showing recent Russian airstrikes on underground bunkers in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
The pinpoint airstrikes destroyed the bunkers, which were built by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the 111th Regiments Base near the town of Sheikh Suleiman in the western countryside of Aleppo. It’s unclear when exactly the airstrikes took place.
The base, which was captured from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) by Syrian Free Army factions in 2012, is today one of HTS largest military installations in Greater Idlib.
On December 25, 26 and 27, Russian warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on Greater Idlib. The airstrikes were most likely a response to ceasefire violations which were carried out by HTS and its allies. The ceasefire was brokered by Russia and Turkey on 5 March of 2020.
The Turkish military, who maintains a fairly large force in Greater Idlib, has been doing nothing whatsoever to reinforce the ceasefire agreement.
In fact, recent reports revealed that the Turkish military has been training militants in the region on the use of armored vehicles and battle tanks. The next year may witness a serious military escalation in the region.
