War Persists Amid Idlib Ceasefire Collapse, as Civilians Flee Idlib Ahead of Anticipated Syrian Offensive Against the Terrorist Stronghold

in #news5 years ago (edited)

As Idlib Ceasefire Crumbles & Clashes Intensify, Humanitarian Corridor Re-Opens Allowing Civilians to Escape Amid Popular Uprisings Against al-Nusra

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The humanitarian and security situation in Idlib is very quickly deteriorating, with the Syrian people becoming impatient for the liberation of Idlib from the hands of the terrorists. Since the terrorist shelling of Aleppo city with poison gas by Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS) over the weekend, terrorists in Idlib and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) have been in a constant state of war, with the terrorists continuing relentless attacks against Syrian and Russian military positions near the de-escalation zone. The SAA is now once again preparing to resume large-scale offensive military operations against the terrorist-occupied province, and the reason is quite obvious - history has shown that the relentless terrorist attacks won't cease until the terrorists in Idlib are neutralized.

HTS and allied Jihadi terrorists in Idlib have refused to recognize or adhere to the 'ceasefire' since day one, have refused to remove their military equipment from the 'de-militarized' buffer zone, have over the past several weeks insisted on escalating attacks against Syrian targets, and the fighting has only continued to intensify in the past few days with the Jihadists preparing for all-out war against the Syrian army as they continue to step up attacks against the SAA.

November 27 - 'Tensions have risen exponentially' in and around the so-called Idlib de-escalation zone in the past few days following the terrorist shelling of Aleppo neighborhoods on Saturday evening, a source in Aleppo city said as heavy clashes between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) in southern Aleppo raged all night, causing a large number of casualties on both sides before dissipating at dawn on Tuesday.

Following the heavy fighting, the Abu Dohour humanitarian crossing was re-opened on Tuesday morning to allow civilians trapped in Idlib to escape to government-controlled territory and to facilitate the return of displaced refugees to their homes. SANA reported that "tens" of displaced families arrived at the crossing from the terrorist-occupied province in order to return to their homes in liberated villages around Hama, Idlib and Aleppo.
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Over 200 civilians reportedly left from areas under terrorist control through the crossing on Tuesday morning.
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Yes, this is the same 'brutal regime' accused of intentionally slaughtering its own civilians, the 'child-killing' Syrian army and the 'war criminal' Russians now helping to rescue hundreds of these same civilians including many children from the truly brutal terrorists in control of Idlib.
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The returning refugees stressed that "the locals where terrorists are still positioned" throughout Idlib province "are waiting impatiently for liberating their areas so as to be able to return too."

Despite the widely pushed western narrative that the 'rebels' in Idlib are protecting the civilians from the brutality and war crimes of 'evil Assad,' the reality is quite the opposite.

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Hundreds of civilians poured into the streets in several villages and towns under terrorist control including Idlib city on Tuesday, where they staged vast protests calling for the expulsion of HTS, a Syrian daily reported. The protesters were demanding the release of 50 civilians who had been arrested by HTS, as well as the return of stolen lands and homes, particularly the properties of Christians which had been seized in the recent weeks, following an HTS government authorization to steal Christian properties, which are being used to house the Jihadists. HTS responded to the demonstrations as they typically do, by opening fire into the crowds, injuring at least 5 civilians.

The daily further said that the uprising came after 2 media activists were killed in regions that are under Tahrir al-Sham's control, enraging the local population who took to the streets to show protest at assassination, blackmail, kidnapping and insecurity in the province. - FNA

It also added that so-called "infidels" were being charged fines of $400 usd. Residents are being kidnapped and held for ransom in HTS prisons until they pay up, a classic case of extortion carried out under the banner of religious supremacy.

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Internal clashes between HTS and rival militant groups had also broken out on Monday, further decreasing security and stability in the province. Additionally, both locals and sources within the SAA have recently accused the radical Jihadi terrorists of using the civilian population in Idlib as human shields, and HTS in September had kidnapped hundreds of civilians throughout the province. When the humanitarian corridor was last opened in September ahead of the expected Syrian offensive which was later put on hold, civilians fleeing Idlib said the militants had been holding them hostage, describing the corridor as their salvation.

And while the residents of Idlib are getting tired of living under terrorist control, those in Aleppo are also waiting impatiently for a military offensive to liberate the province, as they are subject to attacks by the terrorists at any time, as the weekend shelling demonstrated.
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The US responded to the situation on Tuesday, warning Syria against carrying out strikes in the terrorist-occupied province and cautioning Russia that an offensive on Idlib would be unacceptable. Reuters reported that the Pentagon "called on the Syrian government not to use “false pretexts” to carry out strikes in Idlib’s de-escalation zone."

“We continue to engage the Russian government and military at senior levels to make clear that an offensive in Idlib would represent a reckless escalation of the conflict,” Robertson said Tuesday.

Of course the US cannot admit that radical Jihadi terrorists launching a chemical attack against civilians in Aleppo city using chlorine shells and then immediately targeting a Syrian power plant already represents a "reckless escalation of the conflict," because the US is hellbent on protecting its proxy-terrorists there.

November 28 - Local media reported that over 2,000 more civilians fled from the areas under terrorist occupation in Idlib on Wednesday, through the Abu Dohour crossing into liberated Syrian territory. Russian sources said the crossing would remain open until December 2nd, and added that large numbers of people had flocked to the crossing in order to escape to safer areas under the army's control.

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Security situation and stability inside the terrorist-occupied province is not improving, as heavy fighting between militant groups inside Idlib also broke out once again.

Also on Wednesday, two groups of terrorists are currently clashing in Eastern Idlib in Northwestern Syria, with both sides exchanging heavy gunfire and artillery.

According to the reports, an unnamed jihadist faction and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at began clashing inside the large town of Sarmin, prompting both sides to exchange hostilities for several hours, massdar news reported. - FNA

HTS checkpoints on Wednesday seen below:
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Meanwhile, intense clashes between the SAA and terrorists in the 'de-militarized' Idlib buffer zone raged throughout the day on Wednesday, as both the Jihadi militants and the Syrian army stepped up their attacks and counter-attacks.

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The SAA foiled an attack on its positions near the Christian town of Mhardeh and targeted militants deploying fighters to the buffer zone near the Idlib-Hama axis. Jaish al-Izza responded with heavy attacks against army positions in Mhardeh, "causing several explosions that could be heard from as far south as Hama city," AMN reported.

The two sides would continuously trade hostilities this afternoon, following a fresh attack by the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham on the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions south of Khuwayn. - AMN

Terrorists of the “Wa Harid al-Muminin” operations room also carried out a large attack against the SAA in northern Lattakia and claimed to have killed Syrian soldiers, however the SAA repelled the attack, killing a number of the terrorists and causing the rest to flee.

In the same region, Russian forces used anti-air missiles to shoot down a drone near the Russian Hmeimim airbase in western Lattakia, which was presumably an armed drone operated by HTS attempting to attack the Hmeimim airbase. HTS had frequently launched armed drones to attack the Hmeimim airbase before the ceasefire agreement was implemented on September 17, but this is the first such attempted attack since that date, another sign the ceasefire has completely collapsed.

The SAA also came under heavy attack in northwestern Hama, but was able to repel the attack, killing the entire group of attacking terrorists and damaging their equipment. Several more clashes and exchanges of fire also broke out in other areas in northern Hama.

Additionally, terrorists attempting to carry out attacks in southern Idlib infiltrated towards army positions in 9 different areas, but their plans were foiled as the SAA detected and targeted their movements, inflicting heavy casualties upon them all.

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(source)

Meantime, reports from Southwestern Aleppo said that the Syrian army has targeted the terrorists' positions in response to their offensives on residential areas in Jamiat al-Zahra region. - FNA

After attacking army positions in the Aleppo countryside earlier in the day, HTS terrorists fired two artillery shells at the residential New Aleppo District before the SAA responded with heavy shelling on their positions, prompting a fierce exchange which lasted a short while into the night. The terrorists continue to attack not only army positions, but also residential areas, particularly in Aleppo as both the weekend attack and this shelling demonstrates, just another reason the Syrian army is preparing to launch an offensive operation to neutralize the terrorists and liberate Idlib from their hands.

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November 29 - As the terrorist groups continue to deploy more of their fighters to the 'de-militrized' buffer zone, increasing their buildup and strengthening their positions in preparation for a large-scale offensive against the Syrian army, the Syrian army is likewise preparing to launch a large-scale offensive military operation against the terrorist stronghold.

Field sources of the Syrian army reported on Thursday that they have monitored the terrorists' moves in Northern Hama who are increasing their buildup in the region.

They added that the militants in the towns of Kafr Zita and Murak in Northern Hama have dug several tunnels in Kafr Zita and deep ditches inside Murak in Northern Hama to strengthen their positions.

The sources said that the terrorists have taken hostage the civilians in the region to use them as human shield against the army offensives. - FNA

Meanwhile, terrorists of the Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) attempted to attack positions of the SAA near the town of Karnaz in the northern Hama countryside, resulting in clashes in which the SAA killed and injured many of the terrorists, while the rest fled away. Additionally, the Syrian army responded by shelling terrorist positions in the towns of Jarjnaz and al-Tah in the northern Hama countryside. Later, a SANA reporter said the Syrian army had also launched rocket strikes against a meeting of terrorist leaders at a site of the "al-Izza Brigades" in Latimenh city in northern Hama, reportedly killing most of them.

This is an interesting development because Turkey is the guarantor of the Sochi deal ceasefire agreement on behalf of the militant side, and yet it is clear Turkey has no intention of enforcing the terms of the agreement upon its Jihadist proxies in Idlib. This attack by the Turkish-backed militia was notably launched immediately following the conclusion of the 11th Astana meeting held over the previous two days, which saw the leaders of Turkey, Russia, and Iran gather to discuss the Sochi deal, the terms of which the militants openly refuse to recognize or adhere to, namely the removal of heavy equipment from the 'de-militarized' Idlib buffer zone and the ceasing of attacks against targets in Syrian territory. Turkish president Erdogan publicly claims to support the ceasefire deal with his words, but the actions of the Turkish-backed militant groups in Idlib tell the opposite story.

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Relevant local reports cited by FNA also said that the Turkish-backed NLF had put it fighters "on alert for imminent war against the army," and that the group was preparing to launch a heavy offensive against the SAA in the de-militarized zone. The NLF and Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham are also now seeking to form an alliance with HTS, another sign Turkey has no interest in deescalating the situation, but is rather attempting to form a more united front to battle the Syrian army and stave off a Syrian offensive. Additionally, a large Turkish military convoy was just moved into Idlib in the past few days amid reports of the impending military offensive on the province.

Speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of the 11th Astana meeting, Syrian Ambassdor Bashar al-Jaafari and also the head of the Syrian delegation to the Astana meetings blamed Turkey for facilitating the recent terrorist attacks on Aleppo by not forcing the militants to withdraw from the buffer zone and said that "if the agreement is not implemented through policy, it will be implemented by others methods". It is obvious Turkey is unwilling to get the terrorists to comply with the terms of the ceasefire, so now the Syrian army is preparing for the 'other method', preparing to go on the offensive.

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Earlier in the month a Syrian army colonel and military expert explained why a Syrian military offensive on Idlib was "inevitable," forecasting the very events we see playing out this week with HTS and other radical Jihadists resorting to "full-scale military operations against the Syrian and Russian armies."

Colonel Mar'ei Hamdan, a Syrian military expert, was quoted by the Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency as saying earlier this month that Tahrir al-Sham is in control of nearly 70% of towns and villages in Idlib province and makes provocative moves against the Syrian army, adding that the army's commitment to decrease tensions is not lasting forever.

He added that the Syrian army has so far repelled all attacks by terrorists against its positions and inflicted heavy damages on them, noting that the army is now necessitated to come out of the defensive mood to retake control of Idlib.

Hamdan said that Tahrir al-Sham will resort to a full-scale military operation against the Syrian and Russian armies soon, after rejecting the Sochi agreement last October, which leaves no room for ceasefire or disarmament anymore, and underlined that the Syrian army's battle against Tahrir al-Sham is inevitable. - FNA

Meanwhile, Syrian soldiers eagerly await the long anticipated offensive to liberate northwestern Syria from terrorist occupation.
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Now, as 'tensions reach year-long high' around Aleppo, Lebanese media outlet Al Masder News on Thursday concluded its article on the subject by suggesting the Syrian army would inform Russia about its intentions to launch a new offensive military operation.

With the continued attacks by the jihadist rebels on Aleppo, the Syrian Arab Army will likely inform the Russian forces about their intentions to begin a new operation.

A prominent Russian expert, Viacheslav Matozov, also said the Syrian army is fully prepared to launch a full-scale military operation against the terrorist stronghold, adding that the recent chemical attack on Aleppo and movement of chlorine gas throughout Idlib and into the buffer zone (including 50 newly modified chlorine-armed missiles) was an attempt by HTS to show its power and threaten the SAA not to launch a new offensive.

He stressed that if Turkey fails in implementing its undertakings based on the Astana, Sochi and Istanbul agreements, the only way before the Syrian army will be military operations against the terrorists. - FNA

Russia also appears ready to assist the SAA in a new offensive. In a press conference following the 11th Astana meeting, Russia’s special presidential envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev said there are currently over 15,000 radical al-Nusra (HTS) terrorists in the Idlib governorate, calling the situation "unacceptable" and indicating that Russia is ready to help the SAA eliminate them in any way necessary.

“The fight against terrorism in Syria will continue until terrorist organizations are completely eliminated,” Lavrentiev said.

The "terrorist organizations" in Syria obviously won't be "completely eliminated" until the SAA launches a large-scale offensive to liberate Idlib from terrorist control, the one outcome the US, UK and Turkey all stand in such adamant opposition to - the elimination of over 15,000 radical head-chopping, Christian property-stealing, journalist-assassinating Jihadi terrorists who are using the civilian population of Idlib as human shields.

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Neither the absurd propaganda of the western Empire nor the intensified attacks by the terrorists is likely to deter the eventual liberation of Idlib by the Syrian Arab Army, which truly is inevitable and looks to be right around the corner.

AMN reported on Thursday that the Syrian army had sent the entire 5th Legion (5th Brigade/5th Corps) to the Idlib front lines in response to the recent attacks by the Jihadists.
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Along with the SAA's 4th Armored Division, the 5th Brigade had been deployed to the al-Safa region in the south, where it took part in the successful operation to clear the well-fortified ISIS pocket from al-Safa. With the al-Safa operation successfully completed, the 5th Brigade received its orders to pack up its bags and head to Idlib on Tuesday. Video of the 5th Brigade of the SAA en-route to Idlib:


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Additionally, the 4th Armored Division which played a key role in the ultimate defeat of ISIS at al-Safa also headed north to the Idlib frontlines, where it has recieved orders to redeploy to the northern countryside of the Latakia Governorate, where it will begin a new operation against HTS and Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) terrorist positions in northern Latakia, an AMN exclusive revealed.

In particular, the 4th Division will target the strategic mountaintop town of Kabbani, which is considered one of the last major strongholds under the control of the jihadist rebels in northern Latakia.

The Syrian Army has attempted to capture Kabbani on a number of occasions in the past; however, each attack has been costly and repelled by the jihadist rebels.

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With the arrival of the 4th Armored Division of the SAA, the capture of the Kabbani mount will likely become quite a bit more feasible, and once successful the SAA would overlook the entire Al-Ghab plain, giving it a large strategical advantage in the region. This operation would likely be just the first major step towards the ultimate goal of re-capturing the large city of Jisr Al-Shughour from which the terrorists launch the majority of their drone attacks in Latakia, most notably their repeated attacks against the Russian Hmeimim airbase.

Earlier in the week it was also reported that ex-FSA fighters in southern Syria in Quneitra who had previously reconciled with the Damascus government were put on alert to be ready to head north to the Idlib front if called up. A large number of FSA fighters in southern Syria reconciled with Damascus in July and joined the ranks of the SAA.

As of Friday morning, the 4th Division has arrived to the Idlib front and is deployed in northeast Latakia, with the new operation likely to be launched in the next few days.
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The security situation within Idlib also continues to deteriorate, as it is now being reported that HTS admitted to kidnapping an activist who had been interviewing locals, while the Jihadists also banned women from entering the cultural center for wearing clothes that were deemed "too bright."

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Fars News also reported on Friday that HTS has been stealing Idlib's railway lines to reinforce its fortifications at the front lines and also to sell on the metal black market, while Turkish-backed militants have "looted civilians' assets" in residential areas in the Turkish-occupied city of Afrin. The sources said the Jihadists (HTS & TIP) had already plundered most of the railway lines in western Idlib, and that residents are outraged. The terrorists are now cutting up all the railway lines in northern Idlib and western Hama for these purposes.
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A New Israeli aggression?
In an interesting twist to end the day on, Syrian Air Defense Forces (SADF) repelled an aerial aggression over Damascus on Thursday night, shooting down a large number of unidentified flying objects over al-Kiswa just south of Damascus, SANA reported. Explosions were heard in Damascus as air defenses intercepted the targets. None of the hostile projectiles reached their targets, with the SADF successfully intercepting them all. Local sources also told SouthFront that SADF surface-to-air missiles were engaging targets over both Damascus and Quneitra. The S-300 was not employed.

It is suspected that this was the first Israeli attack on Syrian territory since September 17, when a Russian IL-20 aircraft was shot down, killing 15 Russian servicemen and provoking Russia to provide Syria with four of its advanced S-300 anti-air batteries. Israel had since ceased its regular airstrikes against Syrian targets, and this may be the first Israeli aggression against Syria in over two months! Israel is denying reports that any of its aircraft or missiles had been downed, but has not officially commented on the situation yet, with silence being the most typical Israeli reaction after carrying out strikes against targets in Syria. Meanwhile SouthFront has also reported that both pro-Israeli and pro-militant sources claimed the Israeli Air Force had destroyed multiple "Iranian" targets near Damascus...

Sure does sound like Israeli strikes, and the timing is most telling. Last time Israeli forces carried out airstrikes against Syria was September 17, the day the ceasefire went into effect, and it appeared to be a provocation to bait Russia into direct conflict with Israel and derail the ceasefire. The plan backfired, with Russia staying cool and collected and instead supplying Syria with the S-300 air defense system. It is currently much the same scenario, but somewhat in reverse, with these strikes signaling the 'official' collapse of the ceasefire, in my opinion.

Israel didn't carry out any airstrikes during the entire 2 months the ceasefire held, and right as the ceasefire is collapsing, as if on cue, the mysterious aerial attacks from the south resume. On the day the SAA is re-deploying multiple battalions to the front lines to resume offensive operations, on the first day following the Astana meeting with hostilities not ceasing, Israel appears to launch an attack against southern Syria for the first time in two and a half months. The ceasefire has collapsed, and the war has resumed.

The US, UK, Israel and Turkey are likely to make a lot of noise and throw around their propaganda to try and stop the coming liberation of Idlib, but it won't likely be successful, even with false lags and more foreign intervention. The liberation of Idlib is coming, and it's not because President Assad wants to mass murder the civilians, no matter how many times western media and governments repeat that lie in their bid to protect their proxy-terrorists in Syria.

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