A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
On March 13, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted intensive armed patrols over the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib where a number of terrorist groups are present and active.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, fully-armed warplanes flew over the entire region for hours starting from the early morning.
The intensive Russian armed patrols were surprising as the situation in Greater Idlib have been very much calm. No serious violations of the ceasefire in the region, which was brokered by Russia and Tukey more than a year ago, were reported in the last few days.
It is possible that the armed patrols were a warning to al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib.
One recent report revealed that the terrorist group recently moved rockets armed with toxic gases to the southern countryside of Idlib. Another report talked about ongoing preparations by the group to send terrorists to fight with government forces in Ukraine, where the Russian military is currently conducting a special military operation.
Meanwhile, Turkey, who maintains a large force in Greater Idlib, continues to turn the blind eye to the terrorist group control over the region.
The Russian military will not likely hesitate to target HTS or any other terrorist group in Greater Idlib if they attempt to stage a chemical provocation, or send terrorists to Ukraine.
