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– The Fight For Syria’s Last Al Qaeda Holdout: Russian Jets Launch Nonstop Airstrikes Over Idlib:
Authored by Leith Fadel of Al-Masdar News,
The Russian Aerospace Forces launched a large number of airstrikes over the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate overnight on Thursday, targeting the positions of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS/al-Nusrah) around the town of Abu Dali. Russian jets flying out of the Hmaymim Military Airbase began their attack by launching airstrikes over the towns of Abu Dali and Musharifah.
Not long after launching this attack, the Syrian Army was able to overwhelm the jihadist rebels of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham that were attempting to defend the town; they would then retreat before their entire front-line collapsed.
Momentum against the al-Qaeda insurgents began early this week when the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored a new advance in the southeastern countryside of Idlib, capturing a small town that was under jihadist control. Led by elements of the Republican Guard and 4th Mechanized Division, the SAA stormed the town of Al-Ruwaida on Monday, striking the jihadist defenses from its southern flank. With this latest advance in southeast Idlib, the Syrian Army has managed to establish a strong presence in this once jihadist dominated province in northern Syria.