Syrian jets raid jihadist stations

(MENAFN) Syria has launched airstrikes against a terrorist motorized column in the northwestern Aleppo Province, responding to a surprise counteroffensive by militants on Wednesday. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group, alongside allied militias, attacked government-held areas, breaking a fragile truce brokered by Russia and Turkey in 2020. The airstrikes targeted heavy equipment the jihadists intended to use in an offensive on the town of Tel Rifat, located 35 kilometers north of Aleppo. Aerial footage showed explosions engulfing the militants’ vehicles, but the types of equipment were not clearly visible.

The Syrian and Russian military conducted strikes to prevent further offensives on Aleppo from the Idlib province. According to Russian officials, over 400 jihadists were killed in these airstrikes. HTS and its allies reportedly seized 400 square kilometers of territory, reaching the outskirts of Aleppo, capturing military hardware from the Syrian Army, and causing civilian casualties. Moscow condemned the attacks as an assault on Syria’s sovereignty, while Iran accused the US and Israel of using HTS as proxies to undermine Assad’s government.

MENAFN02122024000045015687ID1108945982