The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Turkish intelligence continues its attempts to persuade the “jihadi” factions and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham to resolve themselves and stop being stubborn as the grand battle of Idlib approaches

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the negotiations continue between the “jihadi” factions and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham operating within Idlib province and between the Turkish intelligence, within its endeavors to persuade Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the factions to resolve themselves before the regime forces start the military operation, of which they have been preparing to carry out in Idlib Province, and its surroundings from the provinces of Aleppo, Hama, Idlib and Latakia, during which the regime forces seek to control the factions’ controlled areas in the above-mentioned provinces, while the Syrian Observatory learned that the factions and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham are mostly still refusing to dissolve themselves or accept any alternative solutions to the fight until the end, where these factions are affirming that and rejecting any kind of bargaining, negotiation, and reconciliation with the regime or any other party allied with the regime, this stubbornness is accompanied by 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 on Monday morning, the 27th of August 2018 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.

Where the tension prevailed 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.