The operation, which lasted only 36 hours, allowed the militants to reinforce their positions in the region. The HTS representative said that this is only the first stage: in the future it is planned to clear the territory and return residents who fled their homes due to fighting.
So far, government troops have failed to contain the advance of the militants. In the last 24 hours, HTS managed to take control of at least ten settlements in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The militants captured a significant amount of weapons and equipment, including rockets, artillery mines, anti-tank missile systems (ATGM) and 9K32M Strela-2M man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). The trophies also include more than 50 armored vehicles: T-72M1 and BMP-1 tanks and 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery units.
In the context of HTS’s successes, the pro-Turkish group “Suleiman Shah Division”, which had already collaborated with them on several occasions, decided to join them. The militants of this group announced the creation of a “second front” and their intention to expand their operations in the territory east of the city of Aleppo. There were reports of possible support for his actions by Turkish counterintelligence.
Of particular concern is the presence of kamikaze drones in the Suleyman Shah division, which could create serious problems for Bashar al-Assad’s army.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is considered the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda. Most of its fighters are radical Islamists from various countries such as Uzbekistan, Algeria and Dagestan, rather than local residents. However, in the Aleppo region their presence is perceived as a positive factor by some Sunni communities due to their sectarian affinity, despite their radical ideology.
Previously, Kursor reported that Iran accused Israel and the United States of organizing a conspiracy aimed at destabilizing the situation in Syria.
