Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Deploys Artillery in Lattakia to Wipe Out Terrorist Rocket Sites

“Heavy artillery in Northern Lattakia had successfully wiped out enemy mortar and rocket launch sites and bases where terrorists had launched makeshift unmanned aerial vehicles fitted with bombs,” a Syrian Army source told Arabic-language service of Sputnik news agency.

The source said that the coordinates of the locations of terrorist bases were provided by military intelligence, which has been carefully monitoring the situation near the border areas with Turkey.

Meantime, the Syrian army continued its military advances in other parts of Syria over the past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army’s operations in provinces across Syria.

Lattakia

Syrian artillery units were deployed to the region to eliminate Nusra Front positions after the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group attempted to carry out a series of strikes against army positions, civilian settlements and Humeimim Airbase.

A Syrian Army source told Sputnik Arabic that heavy artillery in northern Lattakia had successfully wiped out enemy mortar and rocket launch sites and bases where terrorists had launched makeshift unmanned aerial vehicles fitted with bombs.

The source said that the coordinates of the locations of terrorist bases were provided by military intelligence, which has been carefully monitoring the situation near the border areas with Turkey.

The Syrian Army has established observation points at strategic heights in the villages of Qabbani and Badama.

The vast majority of Lattakia governorate, including the city of Lattakia, has been cleared of armed militants over the last four years after the Syrian army launched a counteroffensive against the terrorists.

The region’s northeastern-most territories, bordering on Turkey and the militant-controlled province of Idlib, remain under terrorist control.

The situation in Syria’s Lattakia led to a spike in international tensions this week after the Russian military lost contact with the crew of an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft during an Israeli raid against targets in the region. The aircraft was reportedly destroyed accidentally by Syrian air defenses as they attempted to repel the Israeli attack. All 15 Russian servicemen on board were killed. The Russian Defense Ministry accused the Israeli military of deliberately creating a dangerous situation and using the plane as a shield against Syrian air defenses.

Aleppo

A number of Ankara-backed militants were killed in two separate attacks by the Kurdish militias in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo, field sources reported on Friday.

The sources said that the Kurdish militias attacked Ahrar al-Sham along a road to the village of Qazaviyeh in Jandaris region, killing and wounding five Ankara-backed militants and destroying their vehicles.

In the meantime, other units of the Kurdish militia ambushed militants of Liwa al-Waqaz on a road to the village of Hikajah in Shih region, killing two Ankara-backed gunmen and seizing their weapons.

Sporadic clashes are still underway between the Kurds and Ankara forces months after occupation of Afrin by the Turkish Army.

On Tuesday, the Ankara-backed militants looted a warehouse of a privately-owned Auto spare parts company in the Old Neighborhood in the town of Afrin.

The militants stole the entire spare parts from a warehouse in the Old Neighborhood of Afrin, and then smuggled them to an unknown place.

In the meantime, members of Sultan Murad terrorist group cut power cables near Nirouz Square in Central Afrin.

Brutalities and looting people’s assets by the Ankara forces and allied militants have enraged civilians in the region.

Raqqa

Turkish Army sent a long convoy of forces and military equipment to the border with Syria near the regions that are under the control of the Kurdish militias in Northern Raqqa, a media outlet reported on Friday.

The Kurdish-language Hawar news reported that the Turkish army forwarded more troops and military hardware to its border with Tal Abyadh region in Raqqa province that is under the Kurdish militias’ control.

It further added that the convoy included hundreds of military and armored vehicles, heavy weapons and ammunition and fresh soldiers.

Hawar news went on to say that the Turkish troops, deployed at the border with Syria, has opened fire at a school in the village of Sosak West of the town of Tal Abyadh.

The Arabic-language al-Manar TV channel reported on Wednesday that the Turkish army sent a convoy of military equipment, including several artilleries, tanks and armored personnel carriers, as well as special units of forces to Reihanli region in Hatay province bordering Syria.

Meantime, field sources reported that the Turkish army also forwarded a large number of cement blocks to the border with Syria where its troops have been deployed.

The development came a few days after Moscow and Ankara made an agreement to set up a buffer zone in Idlib province.

Hasaka

Hundreds of civilians poured into the streets in Hasaka city on Friday to protest at the capture of the city residents by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Hundreds of civilians took to Saba’a Baharat square in Central Hasaka, demonstrating against the SDF’s capture of the people in the Northeastern city.

Field sources, meantime, said that the protestors declared support for the Syrian Army’s campaign on terrorists, calling for the release of the civilians arrested by Security Forces of Asayesh.

The sources went on to say that the SDF’s arrest operation is aimed at blackmailing people, adding that Asayesh had called for a sum of $10,000 from family members in the town of Qamishli to let detainees free.

In the meantime, the SDF arrested a number of villagers after unknown raiders attacked their commanders in the village of Mojeiraba in Eastern Hasaka.