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On January 2, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces captured the villages of Ziyarah, Tell Aloush and Khirbet al-Wakad in the southwestern Aleppo countryside, according to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria.
Syrian pro-government sources said that Russian warplanes supported the SAA offensive and targeted several positions, vehicles and ammo depots of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and its allies in the southeastern and southern Idlib countryside.
From its side, Syrian pro-opposition sources reported that the Ahrar al-Sham Movement deployed several well-armed units around the city of Saraqib in the southeastern Idlib countryside to counter the SAA offensive.
Meanwhile, dozens of civilians took at the street in the town of Binnish in the eastern Idlib countryside to protest against the corruption and incompetence of HTS and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) commanders, according to local sources. The protestors also stressed their support for Saraqib.
While many sources claim that Saraqib is the expected target of the SAA ongoing military operation in southern Idlib, some Syrian pro-government activists argue that the SAA and the Tiger Forces will focus on eliminating ISIS in the northeastern Hama countryside in the upcoming days in order to secure the SAA rear before launching an advance towards Saraqib.
