On the way to Hama … Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Turkistan and the factions start the greatest battle in its northern countryside
Aerial and ground shelling as well as fierce clashes took place on the administrative border between Hama and Idlib
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the factions of Jaysh al-Izza, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic Party of Turkestan and other factions, started today the 19th of September 2017, intensive preparation by shells missiles and heavy machineguns on positions of the regime forces in the villages and areas of Ma’an, Khafsin, Blail, Al-Tulaysiyah, Al-Zughbah, Al-Qahirah, Al-Talah Al-Sawdaa, Al-Fan Wastani and Al-Fan Qibli in the north-eastern countryside of Hama and the south-eastern countryside of Idlib, in which reliable sources reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that this preparation is accompanied by intensive flights by warplanes and helicopters over Hama and Idlib, and targetin to the areas of Atshan, Tel Bizam, Sukayk and Al-Hbit in the northern countryside of Hama and the southern countryside of Idlib, in addition to targeting other areas in the both countryside, amid firing rubber tires by the factions in the vicinity of the area in order to disrupt the air strikes, also the villages and towns of the northern and the north-eastern countryside of Hama and the southern countryside of Idlib are witnessing intensive shelling by the regime forces.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also learned that this intensive shelling is accompanied by starting violent clashes between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them on one hand, and the rebel and Islamic factions, the Islamic Party of Turkestan and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham on the other, in the contact areas in the far of the north-eastern countryside of Hama, in an attempt by the factions to achieve advancement in the area and take the control of the villages which close the distance between them and the strategic mountain of Zayn Al-Abidin and Hama city, while this battle comes after preparations lasted for days in which Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham intended to tell the citizens in the villages in the far southern countryside of Idlib and the north-eastern countryside of Hama, to leave their houses to avoid the intensive shelling which will be carried out on the area if the operation starts, thus, the area witnessed a displacement movement during the past days to villages far from the areas of this military operation.
And Hama province witnessed months ago violent clashes between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, and the rebel and Islamic factions and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, in which they managed to take the control of a large number of villages and towns, under a cover of intensive shelling, then the regime forces came and retook the control on the whole areas they lost.