Syrian and Russian warplanes carried out on December 7 more than 60 airstrikes on terrorists’ positions in the Greater Idlib region.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), more than 20 villages and towns in the southern and southeastern Idlib countryside were targeted. Most of the targeted areas are under the control of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Opposition activists released several videos showing some of the airstrikes, which targeted the towns of Kafr Nabl, al-Bara, Ehsim, Baluon, Maarzita and Talmenes.
A day earlier, al-Qaeda-affiliated groups and Turkish-backed factions carried a series of attacks on Syrian Arab Army (SAA) troops and positions around Greater Idlib.
This new wave of airstrikes appears to be a response to these provocations. The SAA and its allies have been refraining from launching a large-scale ground operation in Greater Idlibfor for unclear reasons.
The analysis below was originally released in September 2019:
