Early on March 5, the Israeli Air Force carried out a series of airstrikes on targets in the Syrian provinces of Homs and Quneitra. According to the Syrian military, the attack was conducted from Lebanese airspace at 00:30 local time. Israeli warplanes used two civilian flights of Qatar Airways as a cover for their strikes. The Syrian side claimed that it had intercepted all the hostile missiles. However, ground explosions were reported in Quneitra. Therefore, at least some of them in fact did hit their targets.
The previous Israeli strikes on Syria took place on March 2 and February 23. On March 2, an Israeli attack helicopter destroyed a vehicle in the province of Quneitra after Israeli troops in the Golan Heights had reportedly come under sniper fire. On February 23 Israeli warplanes targeted positions of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in Damascus.
‘Entirely by chance’ the increase of Israeli military actions in Syria came amid the escalation of the Syrian-Turkish conflict in Idlib.
On March 4, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Turkistan Islamic Party and other al-Qaeda-linked groups supported by the Turkish Army made another attempt to recapture the town of Saraqib, located on the M4-M5 highways crossroad, from the Syrian Army. Despite the intense artillery and air support from Turkey, al-Qaeda members failed to achieve their goal.
Supporters of the 25th Special Forces Division and Hezbollah deployed there claim that Turkish-led forces suffered notable losses in the clashes but provide no particular numbers. Video evidence from the ground confirms that pro-government forces recaptured a T-90 battle tank that they had lost earlier in the same area.
Syrian troops also entered the village of Afis north of Saraqib but failed to fully secure it. The village remains contested. If Turkish-led forces keep control over it, they will be able to carry out attacks on vehicles moving via the M5 highway from Saraqib to Aleppo.
Earlier on the same day, 2 Turkish soldiers were killed and 6 others were injured in Syrian Army artillery fire in eastern Idlib. In response, the Turkish military tried to shoot down a Syrian Su-22 warplane bombing al-Qaeda positions west of Saraqib. Turkish supporters claim that an anti-air missile was launched by an F-16 fighter jet. However, most likely this was a MANPAD launched from one of Turkey’s so-called ‘observation posts’ in the area. During the past weeks, Turkish soldiers were repeatedly spotted launching MANPADs at Syrian and Russian aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry officially says that Turkish observation posts have merged with terrorist bases and have been used to carry out attacks on government-controlled areas. Nonetheless, Turkish soldiers surrounded by the Syrian Army continue enjoying safety and receiving supplies. This is another demonstration of the fact that modern conflicts often take strange forms.
Setbacks in southern and eastern Idlib forced Turkey and its proxies to shift the focus of their military efforts. Late on March 4, Turkish-backed al-Qaeda forces attacked positions of the Syrian Army in western Aleppo. By the morning of March 5, they had captured the village of al-Sheikh ‘Aqil and al-Rraqim Hilltop. The control over these positions will allow them to shell the western suburb of Aleppo city more effectively.
Since the start of Turkish military actions in Idlib in February, the Syrian military had shot down 13 Turkish military UAVs, pro-government sources claim. According to them, this number includes 7 Bayraktar TB2 and TAI Anka combat drones. It should be noted that only a part of these claims has been confirmed by visual evidence.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants tried to stage a chemical provocation in eastern Idlib, but poisoned themselves, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on March 4. According to the report, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham members were planning to stage the incident on March 2nd during the Syrian Army advance in the western part of Saraqib by blowing up canisters with a chemical substance, but a canister leak caused casualties among the militants themselves.
Wahhabi and Ziojew terrorists have a lot of extermism, but the fanatic “victims” and fanatic islamists surely didn’t foresee that after 9 years of joint war against Syria they’d still be trying to topple the “brutal butcher regime”, would be nice to hear about that from Palestinians and Turkish Kurds. If there ever is a broader war, Hezbollah will end up with an air defense system, most probably Iranian, and then like the Turks, ISISraelis would be fucked as they can’t win on the ground, the 1973 (Zioterrorists saved by Kissinger and the Pentagon), 2006 and Idlib wars just proved as much.
Wahhabis are monsters of the World, all knows who created them and who supports them. They won’t be stopping theirs attacks.
Can you believe this crypto-Zionist by the name of Vladimir Putin?
How can you NOT be an enemy of the Turks and instead be building nuclear reactors for them?
Putin is a (Jewish) TRAITOR who even his Russian army hates:
http://johnhelmer.net/putin-corrects-mistakes-by-biting-his-tongue-on-telephone-with-assad-and-netanyahu/
https://lorddreadnought.livejournal.com/5716.html
http://aanirfan.blogspot.com/2018/02/trump-putin-kosher-nostra.html?m=1
Newbie suddenly turned up, like so many others, with nought, but, soundbites of the week.
SF is attracting primitive racists—c comments below….gradually the turk/amerikan racist/fascists r losing in Syria, nonetheless
Fuck off dink, ni.ger, white boy, Chinq, Jap, African retarded Yank dumb fuck, commie bastard. …
Go Syria but if you want to block them, block them; stop acting like a child.
Yes, Turkish and ISISraeli trolls abound here.
actually american racists support the syrians, the turks and zios are out of control horrible though
cease fire reached … awaiting more info …
https://twitter.com/AndrewBritani/status/1235617457341181952
Big mistake.
Hopefully Iran won’t abide by what was agreed in Moscow and helps Syria, ’cause the Turks’ ISIS/al-Qaeda mercenary terrorist hordes sure as hell won’t stop attacking Syria.
The Russians should give the Yids a “Do not mess with me” message by inflicting some serious damage on Tel aviv.
All in good time, Al.
I feel that the US House of Cards will soon collapse.
There is a smell of panic in the air from the US these days.
An economic collapse of the US will herald the day of reckoning for the Squatter State.
Ah. that smell of panic – https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/vary/vary_3.htm
very interesting, Al.
Iran needs to take a more decisive stance because Russia just won’t, Putin will only allow an air campaign for a few days to frighten the Turks a bit but that’s as much as they can do to keep their partners happy and buying gas.
Terrorist Buffoons poisoned themselves , That’s damn funny.
it the SOCHI deal … nothing more … no word on posts allowed … posts in SAA land
https://twitter.com/hamza_780/status/1235620386760544256
ERDOGAN did not follow through first time … why would he this time ?
MORE INFO ….
https://twitter.com/ynms79797979/status/1235625382038007808
That is the actual Israel tactic to attack Syria. Since the event IL-20 (Russia plane down by Syria missile), Israel planes use civilians or other nation planes to protect from missiles. This coward attitude of Israel pilots tells a lot of these people.
IDF is putting civilian airliners in grave danger with these stunts ..
We can expect no more from the IDF that shoots and tortures children.
Don’t tell that to flacid zion ( i.e. so called iron zion).
there has been a chinging tóf the guards in tel aviv it seems and the new recruits are called ‘ada’ and shyockracy and so on. few comments from the leper colony it seems attacking the regular guys on these threads.
Wahhabi monsters finally needs to be taught a lesson.
http://www.sott.net/article/430222
will Erdogan be replaced by a reasonable less narcissistic leader soon? many believe his misadventures predict his demise in the near future
For the first time a United Nations body directly accused Russia of the “war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas.” Not much different than what Israel is accused of. So many counties can’t be wrong!
Somebody (terrorists) used chemical weapons. Where is the jewSA/NATO strike against them?
I support Turkey at this point, since it looks to me like they are more involved than Russia, relative to the abortion banning proxies of both sides. PEACE among abortion rights supporting Turkey, Russia, SDFkurds, Ukraine, Israel and Bahrain!
the losers here r the barbaric amerikans—a genocidal people that lie, cheat and steal…their fake human rights orgs r CIA fronts…they buy influence in the IMF, UN, OPCW, etc….and when their lies r exposed their fascist media is silent…indeed Russia has supplied photos that contradict UN unproven “accusations” that demonstrate hospitals and clinics have not been bombed…but of course amerikans r so stupid they repeat any propaganda their oligarchy feeds them….always expect stupidity and lies from an amerikan…so gullible and ignorant, they purchase products advertised by celebrities that don’t use the products
I think I finally understand why this operation failed. No good EVER comes from using the word Spring in the operation name. Case in point the final German offensive of WW2, Spring Awakenings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Spring_Awakening