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On February 4, a commander of the Tiger Forces confirmed that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces had halted their military operations in Idlib governorate. Syrian pro-government sources said that the Tiger Forces will build a strong defensive line west of the town of Abu Duhur and then began a wide-scale military operation against ISIS in the northeastern Hama countryside.
On the same day reports appeared that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham retook Tell Sultan in eastern Idlib from the SAA. The situation in the area remains unclear. If the militants aim to regain a large area from the SAA, they may face unexpected pressure from the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The SAA is already conducting a military operation against ISIS in the northeastern Hama pocket. On February 4, the SAA advanced and captured the villages of al-Judaydah, Samiriyah and Umm Hurizah from ISIS, according to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria.
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Meanwhile, some Syrian pro-government activists reported that ISIS had begun withdrawing from some positions in the northeastern Hama countryside, including the village of Buyad al-Saffas.
The ISIS withdrawal confirms that the terrorist organization is suffering from a shortage in manpower. Experts believe that only few hundreds of poorly armed ISIS fighters are currently besieged in the pocket.
A video released by the Syrian Defense Ministry on February 3, showed what appears to be a BTR-82a of the Russian Army taking part in the ongoing attack against ISIS in the northeastern Hama countryside. This confirms that the upcoming wide-scale military operation against ISIS there will be fully backed by the Russian forces deployed in Syria.
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The SAA and the Tiger Forces will likely complete their new mission in the northeast Hama countryside within a short period. After securing the SAA rear in Hama, the SAA and the Tiger Forces may resume their military operation against the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, in Idlib governorate, according to pro-government sources.
