Tiger Forces Commander Arrives in Idlib; Fierce Clashes Near the Provincial Capital

The commander of the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” Brigade, Colonel Suheil Al-Hassan, has arrived in the village of Al-Mastouma to inspect his soldiers and greet the SAA Chief of Staff; this is the first time Col. Al-Hassan has been back to the Idlib Governorate since his deployment to east Homs.

According to a military source, Col. Al-Hassan and SAA’s Chief of Staff, General ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Ayyoub, were inspecting the defenses at Al-Mastouma, while also, discussing the contingency for the recapture of Idlib City – no further details were provided to Al-Masdar News.

On Sunday morning, the Tiger Forces – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the SAA’s 11th Tank Division – continued their offensive at Qameenas, where they targeted the militants from Jaysh Al-Fatah in the eastern sector of the village, destroying an armored vehicle mounted with a doshka and capturing part of the eastern groves.

Southwest of Idlib City, the NDF and 11th Tank Division attempted to advance past Jaysh Al-Fatah’s defenses in the southeastern sector of Fayloun; however, their attack was repelled by the Islamist militants – fighting is still ongoing at the southern axis of the village.

North of Idlib City, the militants from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” attacked the predominately Shi’i villages of Al-Fou’aa and Kafraya, attempting to infiltrate from their northern axes – their attack was repelled by the NDF contingent protecting these villages.

At Koreen, the SAA’s 11th Tank Division unleashed a vicious assault on the militants from Jabhat Al-Nusra inside this western Idlib village, killing 19 enemy combatants and wounding another 13 before nightfall.

The Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) launched a number of airstrikes in the province on Sunday, bombarding the Islamist forces at the cities of Idlib, Binnish, Saraqib, Kafr Nabl, Koreen, Sarmeen, Taftanaz, Ma’arat Nu’man, and Khan Sheikhoun.