Maaret al-Noomane (Syria) (AFP)

A Turkish military convoy was sent by Ankara to southern Idleb province on Monday, the day after Syrian troops entered Khan Sheikhoun, a strategic city in northwestern Syria, sparking anger. damask.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), Russian and Syrian raids have even been conducted near the convoy to try to prevent it from continuing on its way.

Most of Idleb province and parts of neighboring provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia still escape the control of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad after eight years of conflict.

This region dominated by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and which houses rebel groups protests is the target, since the end of April, of almost daily bombings of Damascus and its Russian ally.

After three months of fierce fighting in northern Hama province, pro-regime forces are currently advancing in southern Idleb.

On Sunday, they entered the northwest of Khan Sheikhoun town, for the first time since 2014.

- "Strategic highway" -

In the wake of this advance, an AFP correspondent on Monday in the rebel sector convoyed about 50 military vehicles in Maaret al-Noomane, 15 km north of Khan Cheikhoun, including armored vehicles, troop carriers and at least five tanks.

In retaliation for the arrival of this Turkish convoy, the Russian air force raided a van belonging to the rebel groups that opened the way for this armed column near Maaret al-Noomane, according to the OSDH.

The bombing killed a member of Faylaq al-Cham, who is part of the National Liberation Front (FNL), a coalition of rebel groups backed by Ankara.

According to the AFP correspondent, the convoy had to stop briefly then was able to resume its path.

In recent days, the pro-regime forces are seeking to move on two axes, said AFP the director of the OSDH, an NGO that has an extensive network of sources in Syria.

The first goal is to expand their reach to the north of the city (Khan Sheikhoun) to get their hands on the strategic highway "linking Damascus to Aleppo (north), said Rami Abdel Rahman.

The second aims to advance to Khan Sheikhoun from the east, which would impose a siege north of Hama, including the city of Morek, where is the main Turkish observation post.

On Monday, fierce fighting takes place around Tell Teri, a strategic hill east of Khan Sheikhoun, AFP spokesman Naji Mustap told AFP.

And, north of the city, aerial bombardments have targeted the highway, according to an AFP correspondent.

- "Hostile behavior" -

"Turkish vehicles loaded with ammunition (...) took the direction of Khan Cheikhoun to rescue the terrorists," said a source at the Syrian Foreign Ministry, quoted by the official Sana agency.

"This hostile behavior of the Turkish regime will in no way affect the determination of the Syrian army," added the same source.

"The reinforcements were en route to the Turkish military positions in Morek," Naji Moustafa of the FNL said.

He accused Moscow of adopting a "scorched earth policy to control Khan Sheikhoun and northern Hama".

The Idleb region is supposed to be protected by an agreement on a "demilitarized zone", concluded in September 2018 by Ankara, godfather of the rebels, and Moscow. But this agreement was only partially implemented, the jihadists having refused to withdraw.

According to analyst Nawar Oliver, of the Turkish-based Omran Center, the latest developments reveal the existence of a "disagreement" between the two godfathers of the text.

Turkey "refuses to endanger the security of its soldiers or to find themselves at the mercy of the regime and Russia," he added.

Ankara has several observation posts in and around Idleb under previous agreements between Moscow and Ankara.

Triggered in 2011 after the deadly crackdown by the regime of pro-democracy protests, the war in Syria has become more complex over the years, with the coming into play of several foreign powers.

It has killed more than 370,000 people in eight years and thrown millions into the streets of exile.

In recent years, the Damascus regime has managed to consolidate its hold on more than 60% of the country, thanks to support from Russia and Iran.

© 2019 AFP