25 airstrikes target rebel positions in northern Syria

As many as 25 airstrikes targeted rebel positions in northern Syria Friday, as part of the ongoing military campaign to defeat the ultra-radical militants in their last strongholds, a war monitor reported.

The airstrikes targeted the positions of the rebels in the countryside of Hama and Idlib provinces as well as the mountainous areas in the countryside of Latakia province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

This comes as clashes renewed on Friday between the Syrian army and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, in the countryside areas of Idlib and Hama provinces.

The Syrian army has started an operation against the HTS in the northern countryside of Hama province in central Syria and the nearby Idlib province late last month.

The Syrian government said the attacks are a response to the rebels’ attacks and infiltration attempts into Syrian military sites in that region.

Idlib is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria and is now controlled by the HTS.

Areas in the countryside of Hama, Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo are included in the de-escalation zones deal which was reached between Russia and Turkey in September 2018.

The deal failed to materialize as the HTS expanded in Idlib and started attacks on Syrian military positions instead of withdrawing from the designated zone which combines Idlib with Hama and Aleppo countryside.

Source: 25 airstrikes target rebel positions in northern Syria: monitor – Xinhua | English.news.cn