On May 31, the Turkish-backed Second Coastal Division of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) targeted a group of three Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers in the village of al-Ziyarah in the northern Lattakia countryside with a Fagot anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).
Later, the Turkish-backed group targeted a second group of SAA soldiers who came to evacuate the first group, also with an ATGM.
An officer of the SAA confirmed to SouthFront that two groups of the SAA were targeted with ATGMs in northern Lattakia and revealed that only one soldier was killed and three other were injured. The officer explained that the number of casualties was low because the FSA had used Fagot ATGMs with high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads, which are designed to penetrate armor only.
The upcoming hours will likely witness airstrikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the positions of the Second Coastal Division, as the ATGM strikes are a clear violation of the de-escalation agreement in northern Lattakia.
Earlier this month, Turkey established an observation post in northern Lattakia to monitor the de-escalation zone there. However, as expected the FSA continued to launch attacks against the SAA there.
