Opposition groups in Syria respond to regime attacks

By Esref Musa and Burak Karacaoglu

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - Opposition and anti-regime groups began an operation Saturday in rural areas of Latakia province after the Bashar al-Assad regime and Iran-backed foreign terrorists targeted settlement areas in the Idlib de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria.

Intense clashes between the two sides took place in Hama, northeast rural of Latakia, and the front line of Kabina Hill that is a junction of Latakia and rural Idlib and has a strategic importance, Muhammad Rashid from Nasir Army, a faction of the Syrian National Army (SNA) told Anadolu Agency.

Clashes occurred after four civilians were killed in Russian airstrikes in Idlib and Latakia earlier in the day.

Rashid said at least 20 regime soldiers were taken hostage and control of the Tal Risho, Tal al-Malik, Tal al-Ballut, Tal Rasha and Karmil villages was taken from regime forces. A tank and heavy arms were also destroyed, he added.

He said after Russian warplanes heavily bombarded the front lines, opposition groups were forced to withdraw from the places liberated from regime forces.

Regime forces dispatched military convoys to Idlib and Latakia early last month.

In 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The de-escalation zone is currently home to 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces from throughout the war-weary country.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

hundreds of thousands of people have since been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.

*Writing by Sena Guler