Russia-Turkey deal on Idlib only ‘intermediate step’ – Lavrov
[AlMasdar] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that creation of the demilitarised zone in Syria’s Idlib will prevent the shelling of Syrian troops and the Russian Hmeymim military base, speaking at in Sarajevo on Friday after talks with his Bosnian counterpart Igor Crnadak.
Lavrov said the agreement on the de-escalation zone between Moscow and Ankara is an just “an intermediate step”, adding that by mid-October all heavy weaponry and the Jabhat al-Nusra militants should be moved out of the area.
Rebel military commander assassinated in northeast Idlib
[AlMasdar] (4:20 P.M.) – A military commander from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was recently assassinated inside a key city in the Idlib Governorate.
According to opposition activists in the Idlib Governorate, the military commander of the Al-Sadiq Brigade of the Al-Sham Regiment, Yousef Houran, was assassinated on Friday after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) along a road in Saraqib city.
Opposition activists have blamed Syrian Arab Army (SAA) spies for the assassination of Houran in Saraqib today.
Houran is the first military commander of the Free Syrian Army to be killed in the Idlib Governorate since the Turkish-Russian agreement was established inside the province.
There could be an influx of assassinations in the coming weeks, as the recent string of executions by the jihadist rebels in the Idlib Governorate could prompt responses by the groups targeted.
Syrian Army launches heavy attack along Idlib-Hama axis
[AlMasdar] 2018-09-21 (6:20 P.M.) – For the fourth day in a row, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has launched a powerful attack along the Idlib-Hama axis in northwest Syria.
Led by their artillery units, the Syrian Arab Army unleashed a flurry of missiles and artillery shells towards the jihadist defenses, hitting a number of trenches and hideouts used by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
and Jaish al-Izza.According to a military source in Hama city, the Syrian Arab Army heavily targeted the rebel-held towns of Kafr Zita, Al-Lataminah, Zakat, Aleywi, Sukeek, Taman’ah, Umm Khalakheel, and Khuwayn.
The Syrian Arab Army intensified their strikes this afternoon, following a number of attacks by the jihadist rebels on the government-held towns of northern Hama.
Despite the recent Turkish-Russian agreement in the Idlib Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army and the jihadist rebels have yet to stop the hostilities in the region.
However, no buffer zone has been implemented as of yet in the Idlib Governorate; once it is established, the hostilities will likely dissipate.
Syrian Army spy films from pro-Turkey rally in Khan Sheikhoun (video)
[AlMasdar] 2018-09-22 (12:25 A.M.) – A Syrian Arab Army (SAA) recently filmed from inside the key town of Khan Sheikhoun, which was the site of a pro-opposition and Turkey rally.
The Syrian Army spy showed the the small rally that was held inside this Idlib Governorate town recently; however, the exact location inside of Khan Sheikhoun could not be identified.
As shown in the short video below, the Syrian Army spy is moving freely through the town and filming the crowd:
Khan Sheikhoun was the site of the alleged chemical weapons attack that took place on April 4th, 2017.
The Syrian government was blamed for the attack by the United States and their allies; they would later attack the Shayrat Airbase in Homs in response.