Syrian Army captures 2 towns in eastern Idlib despite reports of jihadist offensive

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) seized two towns in the Idlib countryside on Monday despite reports of a new jihadist offensive in northwestern Syria.

According to a field source in the Idlib Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army captured the towns of Khirbat Jazraya and Qanater after a short battle with Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) this morning.

The source added that the Syrian Army is still attacking the jihadist defenses along the Aleppo-Damascus Highway (M-5).

The jihadist rebels announced around noon on Monday that their forces began a new offensive to retake the key city of Saraqib in the northeastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate.

However, since then, some opposition activists have alleged that their forces were ordered to stand down by the Turkish military as the latter seeks a resolution with their Russian counterparts.