Syria in Past 24 Hours: Army Standing Order to Start Operations in Idlib

Idlib

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted Syrian field military commander Ali Taha as saying on Wednesday that the Syrian Armed Forces are waiting for their senior commanders to issue the final order for the start of the anti-terrorism battle in Idlib, in case political solutions fail in the next few days.

He added that the Syrian army forces have been deployed in Eastern Idlib, Northern Hama, Sahl al-Ghab region and Northeastern Lattakia, noting that heavy weapons and military equipment have been sent to all fronts.

The commander said that a large amount of military equipment has been dispatched to all fronts in Idlib, adding that more weapons and equipment are on the way.

Also in the past 24 hours, media reports said that the Syrian army has sent its intelligence forces to the depth of key regions in Idlib which are under occupation by the terrorist groups, days before it starts its long-awaited military operation to capture the last major territory held by militants.

The Arabic-language al-Moraseloun news website reported on Wednesday that a large number of Syrian intelligence forces have been stationed in several cities and towns held by Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) and other terrorist groups in Idlib and other occupied areas in Aleppo.

It added that several images and footages have been released by these forces which show the terrorists’ strongholds, checkpoints and security zones near Idlib, noting that the intel wired to the Damascus army by these operatives could deal a heavy blow to the terrorist front in the upcoming military operations in the province.

According to the report, the terrorists have installed CCTVs in several regions, including Saraqib, which separates the terrorist-held regions from the army positions, and Idlib city to discover these intelligence officers.

Meantime, the Syrian army’s intelligence forces continue providing precise information about the terrorists’ positions, arms caches, their commanders’ moves and other logistic information, to facilitate military operations in Idlib.

Also on Wednesday, terrorists destroyed the third bridge in Northern Hama in a move to prevent the further advances of the Syrian army before Damascus troops start their massive operations in Idlib province.

The terrorists of the so-called National Liberation Front destroyed al-Tavineh Bridge in Sahl al-Qab region in Northwestern Hama by using a large amount of explosives, battlefield sources said.

The sources said that the bridges in Western Hama are the main linking routes to terrorist-held areas for the Syrian army.

The move by the terrorists takes place at a time when the Syrian army is preparing for the military operation in Idlib province, dispatching thousands of forces and military equipment to Northern Syria.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Turkish army dispatched more convoys of troops and military equipment to the borders with Syria as Damascus troops are standing orders to start a major assault on Idlib, a Turkish media reported.

The Turkish media reported that Ankara has dispatched a long convoy of advanced tanks and a large number of military trucks to the Kelis region in Southern Turkey near the border with Syria.

They said that the Turkish army’s military convoy comprising 25 military and armored vehicles is now in al-Bayli city along the Turkey-Syria border.

Meantime, a Turkish military convoy carrying tanks was sent to the city of Hatay near the border with Syria.

The Turkish army also dispatched a military convoy carrying fortified concrete walls and military equipment to the areas under the control of the Turkish army in Morek city in Northern Hama.

Also in the past 24 hours, Russian fighter jets carried out massive bombing raids on terrorists’ positions in Idlib province, inflicting major losses on militants.

“On the 4th of September, at night, the anti-aircraft weapons of Hmeimim Airbase destroyed two terrorist assault UAVs. In total, last month, 47 terrorist unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed… in the area of Russia’s Hmeimim Airbase,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters.

“On the same day [September 4], four planes from the Russian air unit deployed at the Hmeymim Airbase carried out strikes on Nusra Front terrorist group targets in Idlib province with precision-guided munitions,” Konashenkov said.

According to the spokesman, the strikes were carried out on the terrorists’ storage facilities where they kept drones, located outside settlements, as well as “detected sites where assault drones were launched to carry out terrorist attacks on Russia’s Hmeimim Airbase and settlements in the provinces of Aleppo and Hama”.

“The Russian aircraft carried out all strikes solely on the identified terrorist targets, as confirmed through several channels, located far from settlements,” Konashenkov stated.

He added that two Su-34 jets had also destroyed a workshop where terrorists assembled drones and a warehouse of explosives for them.

Konashenkov noted that the multipurpose Su-35S fighter, equipped with high-precision ammunition, also destroyed a warehouse in which the man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) of terrorists were stored.

Homs

The US-led coalition forces stationed in Syria’s al-Tanf region are preventing the refugees at al-Rukban camp from returning to the army-held areas, dissident-affiliated news websites said Wednesday.

The Arabic-language Smart News website affiliated to the militants quoted Spokesman of Ahmad al-Abdou terrorist group Saeed Saif as saying on Wednesday that the US forces detained a delegation of al-Rukban elderly people who wanted to negotiate with the Syrian army, near the al-Tanf military base at the Syria-Jordan borders.

He added that the delegation planned to hold talks with Damascus officials to pave the ground for the return of al-Rukban settlers to the army-liberated regions, warning that the conditions of the refugees at the camp are critical.

Saif underlined that the refugees testify that they have never seen any serious move against the terrorists by the US troops in al-Tanf region in the past 3 years.

He added that Washington is highly critical of any kind of talks between the refugees and the Syrian government and watches every move made by them.

The al-Rukban refugee camp is located in the Homs province some 11 miles (18 kilometers) South of the al-Tanf settlement and inside the US-controlled zone on the Syrian-Jordanian border.

Aleppo

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have killed tens of terrorists backed by the Turkish government in several military operations in Northwestern Aleppo during the past week, media reports said.

The SDF has conducted more than 10 military operations against the Turkish Army and its allied militants in Afrin and its countryside in Northwestern Aleppo in the last week, killing at least 100  and wounding over 200 others, the Arabic-language Al-Watan newspaper quoted an SDF field commander as saying on Tuesday.

It noted that the SDF has intensified its attacks against the Turkish army and its allied militants, saying that the biggest SDF military operation in the week has been a car bomb attack along the Rajev road that killed over 50 Ankara-backed terrorists.

Also on Wednesday, media reports said that the SDF killed tens of terrorists backed by the Turkish government in several military operations in Northwestern Aleppo during the past week.

The SDF has conducted more than 10 military operations against the Turkish Army and its allied militants in Afrin and its countryside in Northwestern Aleppo in the last week, killing at least 100  and wounding over 200 others, the Arabic-language Al-Watan newspaper quoted an SDF field commander as saying.

It noted that the SDF has intensified its attacks against the Turkish army and its allied militants, saying that the biggest SDF military operation in the week has been a car bomb attack along the Rajev road that killed over 50 Ankara-backed terrorists.

Quneitra

The Syrian army discovered a large number of weapons and ammunition, including US-made missiles and Israeli weapons in one of the terrorists’ strongholds in Quneitra which was retaken recently.

The army troops found an arms and ammunition cache of the terrorists during the purging operations in the two towns of al-Rafid and al-Bariqah in Quneitra province on Wednesday.

The large amount of weapons included different types of missiles like the US-made TOW missiles and Israeli-made grenades.

Hama

Israeli fighter jets attacked the Syrian army’s military positions in Northwestern Hama and Tartus, while the Damascus air defense units destroyed several incoming Israeli missiles, media reports said.

Israeli warplanes targeted several military positions of the Syrian army in Hama and Tartus after violating Lebanon’s airspace, but they had to flee the area after they faced the Syrian army’s air defense and their rockets were intercepted by the air defense system.

Five rockets fired by the Israel fighter jets were intercepted by Syria’s air defense systems in Wadi al-Ayoun region West of Hama province, the state-run news agency said.

SANA reported that one civilian was killed and 12 others were wounded in the Israeli attack on Tartus and Hama provinces.