A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
On September 9, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a series of airstrikes on militants’ positions in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
In the morning, Russian warplanes targeted the outskirts of the town of al-Bara in the southern countryside of Idlib. A Turkish military post is located near the town where al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation maintain a strong presence.
غارات جوية من قبل الاحتلال #الروسي تستهدف محيط بلدتي #كنصفرة و #البارة جنوب #إدلب. pic.twitter.com/xOp6CKGgPq
— غياث فرزات (@Frzat16) September 9, 2021
#عاجل #جبل_الزاوية
غارتين جوية من قبل الاحتلال #الروسي تستهدف محيط بلدتي #كنصفرة و #البارة جنوب #إدلب pic.twitter.com/iLnrHfhFY3— المحرر لحظة بلحظة (@Almohrar1) September 9, 2021
Later in the afternoon, Russian warplanes targeted al-Khodur hills in the northern countryside of Lattakia. The area is an infamous stronghold of HTS and other al-Qaeda-linked groups.
#شاهد : لحظة تنفيذ طائرات الاحتلال الروسي غارة جوية على #تلة_الخضر في جبل الأكراد بريف اللاذقية
pic.twitter.com/1Zhc1Et1gP pic.twitter.com/3k2suQorgu
— شبكة أخبار المعارك (@BNN_SYR) July 10, 2021
3 غارات من الطيران الحربي #الروسي تستهدف #تلال_الخضر شمالي #اللاذقية ولايزال الطيران في الأجواء
تحليق مكثف لطيران الإستطلاع في أجواء المحرر مكان الغارات
إنتبهوا من الإستطلاع الحربي يأخذ منها الإحداثيات
خذوا حذركم pic.twitter.com/YP6057eqpK— 𖤓ᵂˢᴱᴱᴹ𖤓🎭 1️⃣ (@WM_FREESYR) September 9, 2021
Russian warplanes have been bombing militants’ positions in Greater Idlib since August 19. Most of the recent airstrikes targeted posts, fortifications, headquarters and ammunition depots of HTS and its allies, who violated the ceasefire in the region on a daily basis.
Turkey, a guarantor of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, has been doing nothing whatsoever to stop these repeated violations.
At a press conference on September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Turkey is yet to separate Syrian opposition members from terrorists in Greater Idlib.
“As for Idlib, the only way to resolve the situation based on Resolution 2254 is for our Turkish colleagues to complete the implementation of the agreements that were reached by Presidents Putin and Erdogan over two years ago, which suggest that normal, sane opposition should be separated from terrorists, namely the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group (one of the names of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization outlawed in Russia),” the minister said. “The process was launched but is far from being completed, there is a lot to be done,” Lavrov added.
The Turkish military maintains more than 60 posts across Greater Idlib. Weapons supplied by Turkey, some made in the US, were spotted with several armed groups in the region including HTS.
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