In the afternoon of March 21, two attack helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces stuck several positions and gatherings of radical militants in the town of al-Lataminah in the northern Hama countryside.
Syrian opposition activists said that Jaysh al-Izza militants opened fire at the two helicopter in an attempt to shoot them down. However, they failed.
Russian warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on militants’ positions in southern and northwestern Idlib earlier. However, this is the first time the Russian Aerospace Forces used attack helicopters against the militants since last September, when the demilitarized zone agreement was reached.
The Russian helicopters’ attack was likely a response to a recent militant shelling on the town of Shathah. The shelling led to material loses only, according to local sources.
The Russian Aerospace Forces could launch similar attacks in the upcoming few days in order to deter the militants, who are still willing to escalate the situation around the governorate of Idlib.
