The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has repelled a ground attack led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on its positions in the southeastern Idlib countryside, commander of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria revealed on January 11.
In an official statement, Maj. Gen. Yuri Borenkov said that the attack, that targeted the town of Jarjanaz on January 10, was launched from the nearby town of Talmenes.
“Up to 200 militants and 30 pickups with large-caliber machine guns were involved in the attack. With point fire from the tanks and artillery of Syrian government forces, the attack was repulsed, the militants returned to their initial positions,” the statement reads.
A day earlier, a source in the SAA told SouthFront that the army foiled a large-scale attack that was planned by HTS and its allies. Artillery and aerial strikes targeted the terrorists while they were amassing near Jarjanaz, said the source.
A new ceasefire on Greater Idlib is set to become active at today’s midnight. The ceasefire was brokered by Russia and Turkey. Once the ceasefire is implemented, the SAA will be opening three humanitarian corridors around the region.
By attempting to launch a large-scale attack before a pre-planned ceasefire, HTS and its allies are demonstrating their hostile nature. The terrorist groups sabotaged several similar ceasefires over the last year.
