Syrian Army Launches Long-Awaited Operation Against Militants In Greater Idlib

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In the morning of May 6, the Syrian Army and its allies started an offensive operation to crack down on militants in the northwestern part of Hama province.

According to local sources, army troops liberated the villages of al-Bana, al-Janabira and Tell Ottman and clashed with militants in Mughayr.

The main militant strongpoint in the area is Kafr Nabudah.

On May 3, the army deployed at least 2 TOS-1A thermobaric rocket launchers near the contact line.

On May 4, the Russian military released a statement saying that militant groups led by Hayat Tahir al-Sham are working to create a strike force in southern Idlib.

According to the Russians, there was a real threat that militants may use this strike force to attack government positions. The May 6 operation may be a response to this threat.

The situation is developing.

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occupybacon

Go SAA!

seawolf

OK lets see how far they go.

Barba_Papa

The went pretty far the last time. They retook all of the Idlib Headchopper reservation east of Abu Duhur, at least a full quarter of the reservation. After Al Nusra got beaten there was nothing holding the SAA back but Turkey’s displeasure. Lets see how big the frown on Erdogan’s face has to be this time.

Balázs Jávorszky

I think Idlib was part of the price for the Russian support and friendship to the Turks. So I expect some of the usual noise from the Turks (“Assadmustgo” whatever), and they withdraw.

Barba_Papa

I reckon that if Turkey and Russia have reached such a deal the Turks would indeed huff and puff about Assad atrocities, but do very little. And I also reckon that they would have kept such a deal secret for as long as possible, so as not to rattle the Idlib Headchoppers. The coming days will tell us if this is the case or not.

Barba_Papa

A response to a terrorist strike force threat forming in Idlib? Hmm, to be honest that does sound like a ‘constructed’ casus belli. Like Hitler telling the German people that Polish forces attacked a German sentry posed and that as a response the Wehrmacht rolled into Poland. Nobody can respond out of the blue like that with a massive military operation. Shit has to be planned, shit has to be prepared. If they had said we’re fed up with the constant Jihadi attacks and ceasefire violents, that would have been two thumbs up from my part.

https://media3.giphy.com/media/imRu0Oqh6kzdK/giphy.gif

I reckon the strike force thing is for public relations of people who are of the more squeamish variety.

Neurasth

Really? To they need an excuse now? This isnt a honest europen rival country its a cesspool of headchoppers. Thats reason enough. Fuck em

Barba_Papa

Isn’t that what I said?

al quaida

Listening skills 101!

JerryDrake

They do not need excuses. Those is still their country and ANY military operation inside their country is their internal affair.

Sinbad2

Well the Polish forces did attack Germany and Russia, Poland is famous for turning out some of the biggest morons on the planet.

Barba_Papa

Not that day they did, its well know historical fact that it were Germans in Polish uniforms. Hitler wanted a casus belli, he made sure he got one.

PZIVJ

Invasion of Poland was known as Case White in planning. All the German forces where ready to invade for a while, just waiting for the go ahead after false flag attack.

Barba_Papa

God forbid that they gave offense to Herr Hitler.

Justin

Actually Poland were attacking Germans who’s land was ceded into Poland after world war one! That isnt a fake story that is historical fact! The fact that Germany invaded for this reason is a whole other thing! Hitler wanted to invade everyone and this was a good enough excuse for him!

Smith Ricky

God Bless Syria!

Willing Conscience (The Truths

I thinK I just peed myself with excitement, no stopping until they hit Ankara, err I mean Aleppo.
Lets see just how over exaggerated HTS capabilities have been portrayed by the media, 20,000 bedraggled starving and sleepless rebels against 100,000+ fresh and eagre SAA, a hot knife through butter comes to mind. I have to go change my pants now, I think I just peed them again.

Barba_Papa

If it goes on all the way to the Turkish border and Afrin I predict the fight will be harder then most people here like to think but less hard as the Al Nusra fanclub is hoping for. These guys have lost a lot of strength in their failed Aleppo and Hama offensives of 2016/17 and were unable to put a dent in the SAA’s Abu Duhur offensive of last years. Hell, I reckon the reason for that offensive came because local SAA commanders discovered how weak the Jihadi lines had become because it was 2nd and 3rd tier SAA troops who first carried out the first attacks in that area, as the 1st tier SAA units were still deployed on other fronts.

Now ATGW’s are sadly enough easily replaceable, damn you Erdogan, you piece of shit (no insults to shit intended), but heavy weaponry like tanks and artillery is a lot harder to smuggle in through Turkey.

Willing Conscience (The Truths

Remember back in 2018 when the SAA were obliterating the FSA in Northern Hama, in just a few short weeks they took back huge swathes of territory from the FSA even though they were heavily fatigued from fighting Isis and the FSA was at its strongest then.
The SAA was ploughing through the FSA as easy as anything until Erdogan rushed down a heap of trucks and set up his 8 sanctioned and 4 unsanctioned OB posts. The OB post he placed at Murak was the one that stopped the SAA offensive, then the UNHCR started crying potential humanitarian catastrophe 300,000+ displaced people, and the US coalition threatened airstrikes to aid the rebels, and before we knew what had even happened, Assad just packed up and went to Ghouta to clean up the mess there instead, which he did easily too.
I’m hoping we not only see a repeat of that very successful campaign, I hope we see an even more decisive one this time. The SAA has nearly twice as many soldiers now, they’re fresh and eagre, they nearly completely surround the enemy, and they have excellent logistic lines this time, but the HTS rebel and their friends aren’t in the same position the FSA was back then, they’re battle weary, undermanned, under equipped, demoralized and virtually friendless, hot knife through butter I think, but as you said, it may be different when they get close to the Turkish border.
Yes you’re right, Erdogan does have a very porous border when it comes to the rebels and Isis, hopefully Putin can do something to encourage Erdogan do do something about it, hopefully convince him to leave Idlib altogether and let the SAA secure the border properly, wouldn’t that be nice.
Let’s grab a snack and put our feet up and enjoy the show, we don’t know how long it will last, but hopefully the SAA will end up somewhere a lot closer to the Turkish border before it does end.

FlorianGeyer

We know that QATAR funded many terrorists in Syria who are largely now in Idlib.
We know that Turkey has a base in QATAR and is funded by QATAR and that this is a lifeline for the Turkish economy.

We now know that Syria and QATAR are speaking with each other again and that Syria has agreed to allow QATAR to use air routes over Syrian airspace, so as to mitigate the Saudi alliance closure of their airspace to QATAR.

https://www.almasdarnews.co

Part of such an overflight agreement would reasonably involve the complete halt of QATAR’s support of the disposable terrorists in Idlib.

If this is the case, Turkey is no longer financially tied to QATAR’s stance Idlib , now that her support of terrorists in Idlib has (possibly)ended, and Turkey can now further integrate with the Russian doctrine for Syria.

All this is a possibility that has taken a long time to be agreed by all parties concerned.

jorge

On the other hand, Syrians and Russians have ‘convinced’ the others to cool down.

FlorianGeyer

We will all know in due course.

jorge

Yes, about the details

Sinbad2

Qatar changed sides, they were following orders from Washington like the Saudis, and the Turks.
But once they saw the US was going to lose, they did a deal with Iran.
Now as soon as the Americans are out of the way, a joint Qatar Iran and Russia pipeline will be built.
I wonder how long it will take the Saudis to realize they are backing the losing team?

Justin

Qatar only changed sides after the liberation of Aleppo! They knew they could profit from its shared gas well via Iranian sales and also why they bought 20% shares in Rosneft! Profit from Russian sales too!

So lets just say that it was because of Russia that this occurred!

JerryDrake

And the American has chosen a side in the desire to give Syria democracy, human rights and prosperity?

Justin

Ill answer this with a question!
Do you think the CIA is America?

If you do then your point you are making is correct, America is bad!

BUT America is not the CIA!
The CIA is a globalist Intel Agency who is helping along with the transfer of tech to the new Zionist HQ….. China

Have you noticed the MSM is attacking Trump?
Have you noticed the Dems are trying to impeach him?
Have you noticed John McCain is dead?
Have you noticed Edward Snowden came from the CIA into the NSA and then fled to china and then leaked NSA spy tools?

Intel war!

White hats vs black hats!
translation : Good guy vs bad guy!

The CIA is not America!
The CIA is a globalist intel agency that is loyal to globalists!
Globalist want China to rule the world!

Wake up Jerry!

Willing Conscience (The Truths

The Qataris have’t re established any sort of diplomatic channels to Assad or his government as far as I know, this deal [at least from what I understand], was all worked out through proxy negotiations, not direct talks between the Syrians and the Qataris, they’re still on unfriendly terms despite this special favour from Assad to the Qatari’s.
The Russians and Iranians were the two parties that negotiated with Assad to make the deal happen, and I suspect it was Erdogan who lobbied the Iranians and Russians on Qatar’s behalf, because as far as I can see, Assad gets absolutely nothing out of this deal, except maybe airport tariff fees.
Maybe the Qataris will fall in line with the other Arab League nations and open diplomatic channels with the Syrian government, but from what I’ve been reading about what they’ve actually been saying, that’s the last thing they intend on doing, despite Assad doing them a huge favour.
I’m totally perplexed by this strange development, and just slightly amused too, it’s about the last thing I ever imagined happening.

FlorianGeyer

Only time will give us the answer. It will show us if the gravy train that supplies Al Nusra, et al, has stopped.

Andrei

Well done I hope they will kill them all
No mercy
No mercy
Let’s learn CIA a lesson

You can call me Al

teach CIA a lesson, but I get your point.

Gabriel Hollows

Finally. They better not get cock-blocked by the Russians again.

iosongasingsing

With the TOS the black apes will be vaporized, then they will cry the holocaust.

Joaquin

Hope this is the start of the battle

Harsha

Staged CW attacks coming….

Jacob "Wraith" Wohl

US just sent carrier group to Mediterranean and Persian Gulf! 100% prepared to strike butcher assad regime military if chemical weapons are used!

jorge

Chemical, like in Vietnam? And you want to be nuked, boy?

Sinbad2

Could you supply a source that the carrier is in the Persian Gulf?
Because that would be a really stupid thing to do.

PZIVJ

Seems that stupid Wohl troll can’t even understand carrier deployments that was posted by SF today. But to him trolling a site is all about BS to distract the comments section and to irritate people.

John Whitehot

fakeface.

Eskandar Black

My analysis is that this operation, when viewed in the context of 200 Russian airstrikes, is an attempt to limit attacks on Russian airbases and erode enemy capabilities. Every time the rebels get into a fight with the Syrian forces, their numbers dwindle. I think there are probably secondary goals here like reclaiming some towns and the highway, but i believe the primary goal is to harass the enemy and limit their ability to form effective permanent units with permanent positions. I see a likely operation from the east side of the pocket to meet the syrian force from the west and cut of a good amount of rebels in the south. At that point they will face decision to abandon their positions and retreat north, or stay where they are surrounded and die. Pocketing should be anticipated as the strategy of SAA.

PZIVJ

This may be a limited operation, to take the west road link to Nabudah and threaten to move a bit further north? But HTS will have to react, maybe creating an opportunity to hit them as they move. And to degrade them. :)