Terrorists Heavily Defeated in Offensive against Syrian Army in Demilitarized Zone

The Syrian army units engaged in fierce clashes with the terrorists in the Northern parts of the town of Kanasba in Northern Lattakia, warding off their offensive after leaving several militants dead and wounded and destroying their weapons and military equipment.

The remaining terrorists fled the scene towards their strongholds near the Turkish borders.

The army troops also targeted the terrorists' moves towards their positions in the towns of al-Arba'een, al-Zakat, Tal al-Sakhar and Hasraya in Northern Hama with artillery fire.

Meantime, Syria's Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper reported that the army has launched heavy artillery fire on terrorists' positions in Khan Sheikhoun, al-Tamane'ah, al-Khowin, Um Jalal, Jarjanaz, al-Tah, Katibeh al-Mahjoureh and Sakik in Southeastern Idlib, the points that militants attacked the army, leaving heavy damage on them.

The terrorists' refusal to implement the Sochi Agreement to establish a demilitarized zone is pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.

Colonel Mar'ei Hamdan, a Syrian military expert, was quoted by the Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency as saying last month that Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) is in control of nearly 70% of towns and villages in Idlib province and makes provocative moves against the Syrian army, adding that the army's commitment to decrease tensions is not lasting forever.

He added that the Syrian army has so far repelled all attacks by terrorists against its positions and inflicted heavy damages on them, noting that the army is now necessitated to come out of the defensive mood to retake control of Idlib.

Hamdan said that Tahrir al-Sham will resort to a full-scale military operation against the Syrian and Russian armies soon, after rejecting the Sochi agreement last October, which leaves no room for ceasefire or disarmament anymore, and underlined that the Syrian army's battle against Tahrir al-Sham is inevitable.

Meantime, the Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham and National Liberation Front (NLF) terrorist groups has also dismissed the Russian-Turkish Sochi agreement and is preparing for military operations against the army in Northern Syria, calling for a coalition with Tahrir al-Sham.

Tahrir al-Sham and other allied terrorist groups have not left the demilitarized zone two months after the Sochi agreement and have instead reinvigorated their strongholds and targeted the army positions every day.

Relevant reports said that the Turkey-backed NLF had put its gunmen on alert to launch a heavy offensive against the Syrian army in the demilitarized zone in Idlib province.

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