Exclusive: Syrian Army prepares for mother of all battles in Idlib

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is preparing to launch a new offensive in northwest Syria after a successful campaign in the southern provinces of Al-Quneitra and Daraa, a military source told Al-Masdar News this evening.

According to the military source, the elite Tiger Forces will head towards the Idlib Governorate axis in the next few weeks, claiming that they will concentrate on retaking the Al-Ghaab Plain and Jisr Al-Shughour District.

The source added that the Tiger Forces will move towards the Idlib Governorate once they have fully defeated the ISIS in the Yarmouk Basin region of southwest Daraa.

At the same time, the Syrian Republican Guard and 4th Armored Division will be heading to the Jabal Turkmen and Jabal Al-Akrad regions in northern Latakia.

The Republican Guard and 4th Division will be tasked with retaking these aforementioned regions in northern Latakia, while also securing the Turkish border.

These offensives will arguably be the most difficult battles this year for the Syrian Army, as the terrorists in this region of Idlib and Latakia are well-armed and well-trained.

Furthermore, the terrorists in southwest Idlib and northern Latakia have a large number of foreign combatants, which will make these battles all the more important for the Russian and Syrian forces.

Perhaps the Syrian Army’s largest obstacle during this offensive will be the Turkish military, who has setup observation posts in this region of northwest Syria.

The Turkish military’s observation posts have often blocked the Syrian Army from advancing towards the jihadist-held areas, while also proving to be launching points for hard-line groups like Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and the Turkestan Islamic Party.