Illustrative image.
On October 15, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) deployed large reinforcements around the northwestern region of Greater Idlib where many terrorist groups are present and active.
The newly-deployed reinforcements included dozens of battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and multiple rocket launchers.
The deployment came following reports of a near large-scale ground operation by the SAA and its allies against al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies in Greater Idlib.
The SAA deployed more reinforcements in Greater Idlib. pic.twitter.com/VWeJJkBPTQ
— Within Syria (@WithinSyriaBlog) October 15, 2021
SAA units around Greater Idlib, namely the elite 25th Special Mission Forces Division, increased their training courses in the last few weeks. Some of the units even trained on air landing operations with helicopters from the Syrian Arab Air Force.
شاهد|| من التدريبات التي يجريها الجيش السوري لكافة عناصره بهدف زيادة الخبرات لدى القوات، وهذا بالتزامن مع معلومات عن ارسال الجيش السوري مزيد من القوات نحو خطوط التماس مع القوات الإRهابية التي تدعمها تركيا. pic.twitter.com/QIHSgjAOy4
— إدلب Online (@idleb_online) October 15, 2021
5th Corpus returned from Hama desert to Eastern Idlib pic.twitter.com/W6FWBXrNmD
— CM (@CaricaMil) October 12, 2021
Turkey, who maintains a large force in Greater Idlib, is reportedly preparing to repel any attack by the SAA and its allies on the region. The Turkish military established two new positions in the southern part of the Syrian region in less than a week.
The ceasefire agreement in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey on 5 March 2020, is barely holding up due to the repeated violation by HTS and its allies.
While Turkey continues to ignore the chaos in Greater Idlib, its military and intelligence are reportedly preparing to embark on a new operation against US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria. The SAA will not likely set aside, it may strike back in Greater Idlib.
