Syrian Soldiers Ward off Terrorists’ Large-Scale Offensive in Lattakia Province

The sources said that after mobilizing a significant number of militants in rural Lattakia over the past few days, Ahrar a-Sham terrorists carried out a large attack on the government forces’ positions between the villages of Shahroura and Al-Shamas.

Spearheaded by Ahrar Al-Sham, the militant units stormed a nearby checkpoint held by the army troops, the sources said.

They added that the army discovered the advancing terrorists early on and advised entrenched government soldiers to set up an ambush in the Kinsibba region. While upwards of one hundred fighters advanced towards the seemingly unmanned checkpoint on the outskirts of Kinsibba, the army suddenly opened fire from two hilltops and inflicted substantial casualties on the terrorists in the process.

The sources went on to say that with dozens dead in the wake of the failed attack, terrorists quickly scattered towards militant-held positions on the provincial border between Lattakia and Idlib.

Only few corpses were retrieved by Ahrar Al-Sham amid the failed attack while many wounded fighters were left behind to be captured alive by the Syrian army, the sources further said.

Relevant reports said on Thursday that the Syrian Air Force carried out more than a dozen combat flights over terrorist groups’ positions in Northeastern Lattakia, inflicting major losses on the militants.

The warplanes targeted the terrorists’ concentration centers in Kabani town and its surroundings in the Kurds Mountain, killing and wounding a number of militants.

The fighter jets also pounded terrorists’ gathering centers during heavy night raids in the villages of Tafahia and Yunesiya located on an important supply route between Idlib and Lattakia near the Turkish border North of Lattakia.

The raids resulted in the destruction of a convoy of gunmen heading towards the Lattakia countryside near the Yunesiya crossing, destroying more than 10 SUVs with heavy machine guns loaded with weapons and ammunition.

In the meantime, unofficial reports said that the terrorist groups targeted the city of Jableh in Eastern Lattakia province with several Grad missiles that were intercepted by the air defense system at the Humeimim airbase and were destroyed in the sky near the city before hitting their targets.