Syrian Army attempts to force Turkish troops out of Latakia

The Turkish military entered the northern countryside of the Latakia Governorate this past weekend, prompting the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) to take an aggressive approach to force them to leave.

What started as sporadic shelling has since moved to intense rocket fire from both the Syrian Arab Army and Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the Jabal Al-Akrad region.

According to a military source in Latakia, the Syrian Army has been firing missiles and artillery shells towards the mountaintop where the Turkish military took up their positions at this past weekend.

The source added that the Syrian Army is attempting to force the Turkish military to leave the province, as this is a clear violation of the Astana agreement, which only permits Ankara to establish twelve observation points.

While an observation point has yet to be established, the Turkish Army’s presence is considered a move halt the Syrian Army from advancing at another front in northern Syria.