More shelling by the regime forces targets the suburbs of Aleppo city and both Idlib and Hama countryside as a part of the renewed violations to the fragile truce

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored more targeting to the areas of the Russian – Turkish truce, where the SOHR monitored targeting to areas in Al-Mansurah, Al-Rashideen and the area of the scientific research center in the western suburbs of Aleppo city, in conjunction with shelling by the regime forces on places in Al-Lataminah area in the northern sector of Hama countryside, as well as shelling that targeted Hasaraya village and its vicinity, in the same countryside, along with ground shelling which targeted places in Sahl Al-Ghab area in the north-western countryside of Hama, while the regime forces targeted the area of the Abandoned Battalion in the eastern countryside of Idlib, amid throwing light bombs in the skies of the same area, without information so far about human losses, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published hours ago, that the regime forces shelled areas in the vicinity of Sukayk town in the southern countryside of Idlib, which caused material damage, without information about casualties, after exchange of targeting using heavy machineguns in al-Ziyara and al-Sermaniyyeh areas in Sahl al-Ghab at the northwestern countryside of Hama, between the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them against factions operating in the area, accompanied by targeting by the regime forces for areas in the vicinity of the towns of al-Ziyara and al-Sermaniyyeh, in conjunction with shelling by the regime forces targeted areas in al-Zakat village within the demilitarized area in the northern countryside of Hama, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published hours ago that violations continue in the demilitarized areas of Putin – Erdogan, and the Russian – Turkish truce areas in the 4 provinces, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the regime forces shelling areas in al-Najeya village and the abandoned battalion in the eastern countryside of Idlib, in conjunction with renewed shelling by the regime forces on areas in the eastern outskirts of Lahaya village, in the northern countryside of Hama within the demilitarized area, after missile shelling carried out by the regime forces after midnight of yesterday, targeted places in al-Lataminah, Morek, and Lahaya in the northern countryside of Hama, and other places in the abandoned battalion, Tawil al-Haleeb, and Masada areas in the southeastern countryside of Idlib, as part of the continuous violations within areas of the Turkish – Russian truce.

And the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that despite its fragility and the daily violations, the Russian – Turkish truce is still underway on the Syrian territory within the 4 provinces Latakia, Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib after completing its 5th consecutive month, where it was launched on the 15th of August 2018, within areas controlled by the rebel, Islamic, and “jihadi” factions and the nearby regime forces’-controlled areas, where this truce have had various violations of varying violence monitored by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in a momentary and daily manner, while its guarantors sought to let their guarantees of stopping the shelling and hostilities, after  which it was turned from a truce to reason to stop the military operation against Idlib Province, and the adjacent factions’ controlled areas, and then the agreement of the 17th of September 2018 between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, came to reinforce the truce through establishing a “demilitarized area”, stretches from the northern mountains of Latakia, passes through Sahl al-Ghab, and the western, eastern, southern and southeastern countryside of Idlib, the northern and northeastern country of Hama, and the southern suburbs of Aleppo until the northwest of Aleppo city and its suburbs, and the western part of the city.

The Russian – Turkish truce did not hold up, but rather Russian – Turkish polishing attempts, to show the “positive” role of both parties in promoting peace within Syrian territory and reducing violence, However, things changed from what they had imagined, where the jihadists who were given the deadline to leave on the 15th of October 2018 have not left, and instead of that they sought to impose their presence in the demilitarized area, of which they control more than 70% of it, and now they are imposing their presence and control over most of it, also they turned around the agreement of withdrawing the heavy weapons, through burying them in trenches set up within the demilitarized area. And after the agreement insisted on their departure; the 5th month of the Russian – Turkish truce agreement and the 3rd month of their deadline of their leave from the demilitarized area, witnessed the expansion of the “jihadi” groups, which includes thousands of non-Syrian national fighters, and the expansion came through an attack by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham ended by imposing its control over about 9000 square kilometers, which is equivalent to about 4.8% of the Syrian territory, and the displacement of fighters of Ahrar Sham and the National Liberation Front towards Afrin area.

The 5 months of the Russian – Turkish truce in the 4 provinces of Idlib, Hama, Latakia, and Aleppo have witnessed the fall of large number of casualties, where the Syrian Observatory documented death of 92 citizens including 38 children and 17 women, they were killed in air and ground shelling, they are 20 citizens including 9 children and 4 citizen omen were killed in bombing by warplane Russian, and all the casualties were killed in the provinces of Idlib, Hama, and Aleppo, and most of them were killed in Idlib and Hama, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 3 citizens including 2 children; they were killed in bombing by regime’s helicopters using barrel bombs, and 52 citizens including 21 children and 8 women were killed in shelling by the regime forces using missile and artillery shells, and on the Turkish – Russian truce areas in Idlib, Hama, and Aleppo, and 17 citizens including 6 children and 5 citizen women were killed in the fall of shells launched by Ansar al-Tawhid faction on Muhradah city, which is controlled by the regime forces in the northwestern countryside of Hama, and in the fall of shells on Aleppo city, also 63 fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions were killed in aerial bombing and shelling by the regime forces on the countryside of Idlib and Hama, including 8 “Jihadi” fighters and 23 fighters of Jaysh al-Izza, they were killed during clashes and ambushes, and about 82 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them were also killed.

The Syrian Observatory documented the casualties who were killed during the period of Putin – Erdogan agreement of the demilitarized area, they are 43 civilians including 17 children and 6 citizen women, they were killed in shelling by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them and targeting, including 3 were killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions, and 56 fighters were killed in different circumstances within the demilitarized area, since Putin – Erdogan agreement, including 12  “jihadi” fighters and 23 fighters of Jaysh al-Izza, they were killed during clashes and ambushes including one commander at least, they were killed in ambushes and attacks by the regime forces in the northern countryside of Hama, and 73 of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented shelling by about 350 raids and barrel bombs carried out by Russian warplanes and regime’s helicopters, where warplanes carried out at least 140 raids,  and the helicopters dropped about 210 barrel bombs, amid shelling by thousands of missile and artillery shells on the current areas of the Turkish – Russian truce, also, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored tens of thousands of citizens from the southern and southeastern countryside of Idlib, and from Sahl al-Ghab, Jisr al-Shughur area in the western Idlib countryside, and other areas in the northern countryside of Hama displacing towards the northern countryside of Idlib and Afrin area in the northwestern countryside of Hama and the western countryside of Aleppo, and to areas near the Syrian – Turkish border.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored in the recent weeks the increase in pace of regime’s preparations to start the grand battle of Idlib, and the Syrian Observatory learned from intersected sources that the regime forces have mobilized the majority of their forces who fought previously against the factions and the “Islamic State” organization, and moved them to the contact lines and clash fronts in the countryside of Idlib, Hama, Latakia, and Aleppo, in order to have the upper hand in the battle, for which they have mobilized more than 2000 armored vehicle so far, and called for tens of thousands of members of their forces and the gunmen loyal to them, in addition to summoning their officers and operation commanders, headed by the Brigadier General Suhail al-Hassan, known as the “al-Nemr” (the tiger), while the regime forces are following the tactic of scattered shelling, through moving the shelled area between the day and the other, and concentrating the shelling each time on an area without the other, to disperse fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic Turkestani Party, and the factions operating in factions’ controlled areas north, east, and west of the contact line between the regime forces and the factions, extending from the northern mountains of Latakia to the southern countryside of Aleppo passing through Sahl al-Ghab and the eastern and southeastern countryside of Idlib, while areas controlled by the rebel and Islamic factions, the National Liberation Front, Islamic Turkestani Party, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, and Hurras al-Dien; also witnessed preparations to confront these large mobilizations if the battle began, so they dug tunnels, trenches, strengthened their positions, and increased their guard numbers and their fighters on the fronts.