File image.
Despite taking heavy losses, militants led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) made more gains in the western countryside of Aleppo as a part of their large-scale offensive against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), codenamed Operation Deterrence of Aggression, over the night of November 28 and 29.
Just after midnight, the militants announced that they had captured the towns of Miznaz, Kafr Dael, al-Barqoum, Babis, Bashqatin, Bashantra, al-Kasebiyeh, and al-Arbikh.
Later in the morning it was reported that the towns of Khan Touman, Jab Kas, al-Talhiyah, Tal al-Karatin, al-Bawabiyah, Abu Qansa, Zeitan, and al-Salihiyah had also fallen into the hands of HTS and its allies.
This advance left the militants in control in some 20 kilometers of the M5 highway leading to Aleppo city. It also boroughs them closer to the city center, with Khan Touman being located less than eight kilometers away from the Ramouse Industrial Zone in the southwestern outskirts of the city.
Before midnight, the militants attempted to advance in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo. Several attacks targeted the town of Anadan. However, they were all repelled by the SAA. Most of these attacks were led by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), not HTS.
The militants’ gains were not without a heavy cost, as warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Arab Air Force continued to launch heavy airstrikes between the western Aleppo countryside and the southern Ilib countryside overnight.
Additionally, multiple Russian airstrikes hit the headquarters of the SNA in the town of Marea in the Turkish-occupied part of the northern Aleppo countryside. Dozens of militants were reportedly killed or wounded.
It’s worth noting that the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria announced late on November 28 that more than 400 militants have been killed while taking part in the offinsive so far.
Large reinforcements from the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, 4th Armored Division, the Republican Guards, the Special Mission Forces and other formations of the SAA have begun to arrive to the fronts. There were also reports of limited counter-attacks and Syrian troops recapturing the town of Khan al-Assal in the western Aleppo countryside.
The offensive was launched early on November 27 from the so-called Greater Idlib region, which includes Idlib city and parts of the governorates countryside as well as several towns in the northern Lattakia countryside, the northwestern Hamas countryside and the western countryside of Aleppo. The Turkish military maintains a large presence in the region. However, HTS is the de-facto ruler.
A ceasefire agreement on Greater Idlib that was brokered by both Russia and Turkey on March 5 of 2020 has completely collapsed as a result of the offensive.
In the months leading to the offensive several reports talked about a plan by HTS and its allies to invade Aleppo city, taking advantage of the distraction caused by the ongoing Israeli war on both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Russian intelligence also warned that the secret services of the Kiev regime were active in Greater Idlib. Still, Turkey did nothing to prevent the offensive.
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this is also a consequence of allowing these terrorists to leave the city of aleppo a few years ago instead of eradicating them.
as with the failed operation in homs, when the syrian army was ready to eradicate the rats, moscow quickly specified another agreement with the turks and prevented the syrian attack, resulting in the terrorists obtaining safe passage to idlib.
road to damascus very soon :( this is total colapse ! saa leave 20+ tanks to jihadist .
freedom beheaders 2.0
that’s it, keep passively accepting these agreements mediated by russia with the turkish rats, who serve the yankees, who serve the israeli cancer.
expecting the “turks to honor their agreements” is the same as expecting some deity to end the war in ukraine. it is already more than obvious that any agreement with the devil will be broken. maybe it is time for moscow to gather courage and eradicate this cancer once and for all. no more cooperation with the turks
idlib should have been flattened long ago. you do not leave a festering cancer alone. the west is a cancer, it spreads poison around the world by creating smaller cancers within countries
all cia hillbilly trailer trash dressed like arabs