The regime forces’ ground shelling continues targeting areas within the triangle of Sahl al-Ghab – Lattakia Mountains – Jisr al-Shughur

The regime forces continued their rocket shelling on areas in Jabal Al-Akrad and Jabal Al-Turkman after the midnight of Tuesday – Wednesday and today dawn, without information about injuries, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored today afternoon, shelling by the regime forces on areas in Bdama town, in the western sector of Jisr al-Shughur countryside, within the triangle of west Idlib – north Lattakia – north-west Hama, while a fighter of the factions was killed after being targeted by the regime forces on the road to Al-Yamdiyyah in Jabal Al-Turkman in the northern countryside of Lattaqia, after the fighting which took place yesterday morning, Tuesday the 7th of August 2018, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the killing of at least 8 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them including an officer, during the attack that was carried out by the Islamic Turkestani Party and supporting Islamic factions, on positions of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them in al-Sarraf area in Jabal al-Turkman, in the morning of Tuesday, where violent clashes took place, between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them against the Turkestani Islamic Party and other supporting Islamic factions, in al-Sarraf area in Jabal al-Turkman in the northern countryside of Latakia, as a result of an attack by factions in the area, where the clashes were accompanied by exchange of targeting in the clash areas between both parties. These clashes –which caused confirmed casualties in the ranks of both parties- came after artillery and missile shelling by the regime forces targeted areas Jabal al-Akrad and Jabal al-Turkman, which caused material damage.

It is noteworthy that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received in early June 2018, that members and officers of the Iranian Forces; and of the forces loyal them have withdrawn from Tall Rifaat area and its surroundings in the northern countryside of Aleppo, after Russian – Iranian disagreements about Russian – Turkish consultations to deliver Tall Rifaat to the Turkish Forces and the Syrian military opposition, in return for the withdrawal of the Syrian opposition factions from the triangle of west Jesr al-Shughur – Sahl al-Ghab – the northeastern countryside of Latakia. The withdrawal of the Iranian officers and members loyal to them coincided with the arrival of the Russian military vehicles, accompanied by regime’s vehicles to Tal Rifaat area, where it is suggested that they came to switch regime’s military units in the area, also the sources added that the consultations are underway about completing the opening of Gaziantep road, which connects Turkey to the southern border of Syria with Jordan, and ending the presence of the Kurdish Forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo after their withdrawal from Afrin.