On February 3, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a series of airstrikes on the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.

Unidentified targets located near the towns of Kafer Shalaya and al-Rami in the southern countryside of Idlib were hit. This area is known to be infested with military positions of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib, and its allies.

The Russian airstrikes came less than 12 hours after a US counter-terrorism raid that ended with the death of ISIS top leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. The raid took place in the town of Atimah in the northeastern countryside of Idlib.

The airstrikes were not likely related to the raid, but rather a response to recent ceasefire violations by HTS and its allies.

Under the rule of HTS, Greater Idlib became the largest save haven for terrorists in the Middle East. Despite this, the US and Turkey continue to ignore the terrorist group’s responsibility for the current bad situation in the region where some three million people live.

While regular Russian and Syrian strikes have been keeping HTS and its allies in check, a comprehensive approach to secure and stabilize Greater Idlib is still necessary.

Source: South Front