Escalating violence | Regime forces shell villages in Idlib countryside, and factions target regime soldier near Saraqeb

SOHR sources say that members of HTS targeted a regime soldier on the frontline of the village of Jobas near Saraqeb, killing him.

Meanwhile, regime forces stationed near Saraqeb city shelled the town of Afis in Idlib countryside with heavy machine guns.

Regime forces also shelled the villages of Benin and Deir Sanbel in Jabal al-Zawiya. No casualties have been reported.

SOHR sources say that HTS and factions were able today to repel four attempts to advance by regime forces on the strategic hill of Al-Haddada frontline and the surrounding hills in Jabal al-Akrad in the northern countryside of Latakia.

Al-Haddada hill overlooks the Aleppo-Latakia international road and large areas in the western countryside of Jisr al-Shughour and the villages of Bdama and Al-Najiya, on the M4 international road.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored this evening the cessation of clashes on those frontlines, coinciding with exchange of fire with artillery and rockets, between factions and regime forces.

Furthermore, regime forces targeted with dozens of shells Al-Haddada hill, Mazghali, Jabal al-Tefahia, Al-Khader, Tardin, Kabana and areas in Jabal al-Turkman in the Latakia countryside.

Opposition factions fired several rockets on Russian and regime forces’ positions in Kensaba frontlines, Shalf castle and Tobal castle in the same area, injuring several Russian soldiers, amid confirmed reports suggest that more soldier has been killed. SOHR activists have monitored helicopters landing in the targeted positions evacuating the casualties.

The Syrian Observatory has documented more casualties as a result of heavy shelling and fierce clashes since the morning.

The death toll of regime forces and loyalists rose to 15, and the death toll of factions and jihadists increased to nine. The death toll is expected to rise as many other fighters sustained serious injuries, while unconfirmed reports suggest there are further fatalities.