Translate

Sunday, August 11

Syrian Army liberates al-Hobait, smashing key Turkish-backed HTS base

From today's news on the Syrian war front, it looks to me as if Turkey pretty much acknowledged at Astana 13 that it had run out excuses for continuing to support HTS (Tahrir Al-Sham).  See Sultan Al Kanj's May 2019 analysis at Chatham House (the West's top foreign/defense policy think tank), Reviewing the Turkey–HTS Relationship for background on why those two interests struck agreements in the first place. 

August 10: "A battlefield source pointed to the Syrian Army’s efforts to liberate al-Hobait town in Southern Idlib, and said once the Syrian army completes control over this region, which is the gate to Idlib, it will be able to take control of the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib and the international Damascus-Aleppo road." - FARS

August 11: "The Syrian Army [SAA] 
continued its military operations in Northern Syria, and regained full control over the strategic town of al-Hobait in Southern Idlib after advancing from several directions." - FARS

The SAA is proceeding full speed ahead with its encirclement plan in Southern Idlib. From the August 11 FARS report, headlined "Syrian Army Liberates Tahrir Al-Sham’s Strategic Military Base in Idlib:"

BEGIN QUOTES
[...]
The Damascus Army engaged in heavy clashes with Tahrir al-Sham al-Hay’at, Tahrir al-Sham al-Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) terrorists in Southern Idlib, and captured al-Tamane’h Farms and the town of Mugar al-Humam near al-Hobait after retaking the town of Sakik.

The Syrian Army troops, backed by artillery and missile units, attacked the terrorists’ military positions in al-Hobait and took full control of the region after fierce clashes with the terrorists.

The Arabic-language website of the Russian Sputnik News Agency, meantime, reported that at least 60 terrorists, originating from different countries, were killed by the Syrian Army in military operation to liberate al-Hobait.

A military source also announced that the Syrian Army is making advances in the Eastern and Western directions in a move to lay siege on other terrorist groups in the towns of Kafar Zita, al-Latamaneh and Mourek in Northern Hama.

The Syrian Army advances come after it took control of al-Hobait town which is regarded as the gate to Khan Sheikhoun.

He noted that the Syrian Army’s artillery and missile units are currently pounding the terrorists’ movements in the town of al-Tamaneh, North of Sakik town.

In a relevant development on Saturday, the Syrian Army regained control of a strategic region and the nearby hills in Southern Idlib.

The army forces, backed by artillery and missile fire, engaged in heavy clashes with Tahrir al-Sham terrorists in the town of al-Tamane'ah in the Eastern parts of Khan Sheikhoun on Saturday, taking back control of the strategic town of Sakik and adjacent hills.

Meantime, a field source said that other Syrian army troops also clashed with militants in al-Latamineh and al-Habit in Western Khan Sheikhoun in Southern Idlib, adding that the army intends to surround the terrorists in Southern Idlib and facilitate the operations in Idlib and Hama by launching concurrent operations in several fronts, driving wedges to separate the region into several parts and cutting the militants' supply lines.

He added that the Syrian army has also dispatched a large number of forces and military equipment to Atshan, Abuda Ali and Abu Omar in Eastern Hama and Southern Idlib.

[...]
END QUOTES

********

No comments: