Despite the confusion in the ranks of the jihadist factions, negotiations underway with the Turkish intelligence to reach consensus on the resolve of the factions before the grand battle of Idlib

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed by reliable sources that negotiations are underway between the Turkish intelligence services and between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, The Islamic Turkestani Party, and other jihadi groups, with the aim of reaching agreement and consensus for these factions to resolve themselves, where these endeavors coincide with accelerated preparations by the regime forces and their loyal fighters for the start of the grand battle of Idlib, through which the regime forces seek to control the province and other areas in its surroundings of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia provinces, and the continuation of negotiation comes after the conflicted information about reaching consensus on this issue, where Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the rest of the groups continue to experience confusion among their leaders and members, as a section of which has agreed to the demands of the Turkish authorities to resolve themselves, while the larger section rejects this process and refuses to approve any of the Turkish terms within the Negotiations.

The Syrian Observatory published Monday morning that reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that these negotiations come after increased pressures by regional and international parties on the Turkish side, in parallel with the increase in pace of the preparations for Idlib battle, where Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham controls the largest part of Idlib province, and shares it with other 3 parties: the rebel and Islamic factions, the Islami Turkestani Party, and the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.

Also the sources informed the Syrian Observatory that the Turkish Forces are trying to persuade Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and other parties of the negotiation, warning them of the consequences of not agreeing to the solution, which is to bear the burden and responsibility of the military operation to be conducted in Idlib province, for which the regime forces and their allies have been significantly preparing over the past weeks, by bringing in thousands of members of their forces and loyal gunmen as well as hundreds of faction fighters who have recently joined the “reconciliation”, and hundreds of vehicles, armored vehicles, ammunition, and machinery, and deploying them in areas starting from Latakia Mountains down to the southern countryside Aleppo through Sahl al-Ghab and the northern countryside of Hama and the southeastern countryside of Idlib.

The reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that factions working in Idlib are working on widening the rift between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and its affiliated groups, in order to incite them to defect from Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, which is one of the renewed names of al-Nusra Front (al-Qaeda Organization in the Levant), where the Syrian Observatory published on the 23rd of August 2018 that Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham was able hours ago to seize the entire weapon and equipment of Ansar al-Sham Brigades which sore allegiance to Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, where Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham raided them in the Latakia mountains this morning, after it received information about the intention of Ansar al-Sham to defect and join a rebel corps supported by a regional party.

While the Syrian Observatory published hours ago that Tension prevails the northern mountains of Latakia between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and one of its factions, and in the details monitored by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham began dawn on Thursday, the 23rd of August 2018, to carry out raids on headquarters and position points of Ansar al-Sham Faction, which joined previously the ranks of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and is mainly located in Latakia mountains, where an altercation took place and evolved clashes between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and Ansar al-Sham Faction against the backdrop of this raid, trusted sources attributed the reason behind these raids to the intention of Ansar al-Sham Faction to join a legion operating in the area and supported by a regional country.

These raids come 48 hours after the visit of Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the leader of al-Nusra Front (Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham) to the northern mountains of Latakia, it also comes in conjunction with military movements and mobilization by the regime forces and their troops in the vicinity of the area, to initiate a military operation in the area and around it of the triangle of Jisr al-Shughur – Sahl al-Ghab – Lattakia Mountains, where the Syrian Observatory published that the regime forces are still continuing with their allies, to fortify their fronts in the northern sector of Lattakia countryside, linked to the fronts and contact lines with the rebel and Islamic factions which include Syrian and non-Syrian fighters, in the countryside of Jisr Al-Shughur and Sahl Al-Ghab, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the regime forces bringing more vehicles, members, materiel and ammunition, to these lines, and in conjunction with these mobilizations by the regime forces, the SOHR monitored on the 21st of August 2018 the leader of Al-Nusra Front (Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham) Abu Mohammad al-Julani, taking a military tour in the northern mountains of Lattakia, where al-Julani reviewed with a number of the commanders of the first and second rank in Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the members of Tahrir Al-Sham and the front lines.