According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), clashes between pro-regime forces and jihadist factions in Idleb, northwestern Syria, on Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1, resulted in death of 36 members of Syrian regime forces and 33 combatants in the opposing camp.
"This is the most violent fighting in the province of Idleb since the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement" announced in late August by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally, said the director of the OSDH, Rami Abdel Rahmane.
Sunday morning, according to an AFP correspondent, columns of smoke rose in the skies of the Maarat al-Noomane region, overflown by planes bombarding positions of jihadist and rebel groups.
"The regime's forces are leading ... a counter-attack in an area of south-eastern Idleb, where rebel and jihadist groups took control on Saturday of four villages," Rami Abdel Rahman said.
"They managed to win back all of them," he added, while referring to a "continuation of the fighting".
The province of Idleb is dominated by the jihadists of the Hayat group Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda. This region, and adjacent areas of the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia, still largely escapes the Syrian regime. These areas are also home to several other jihadist groups and weakened rebels.
Truce violated
Between the end of April and the end of August, the region had been pounded without interruption by the Syrian army, supported by the Russian air force. Nearly a thousand civilians perished during this period, according to the OSDH, while more than 400,000 people have been displaced, according to the UN.
Despite the truce announced on August 31, ground fighting, initially sporadic, intensified in recent weeks. Nearly 470 combatants perished in these clashes, including about 250 fighters of the regime's forces and their allies.
As for aerial bombardment and heavy artillery, they have killed more than 160 civilians, including 45 children, since the ceasefire came into force, according to the OSDH.
Last week, the head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini condemned "unacceptable" bombings targeting civilians and vital infrastructures.
Battled key
In October, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made his first visit to the province since the beginning of the war in 2011, saying the battle of Idleb was the key to ending it.
With the support of Moscow and Iran, the Syrian regime has chained the last two years victories against rebels and jihadists and now controls more than 70% of the territory, according to the OSDH.
In October, he began deploying in northern and eastern areas of the country, previously controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, called to call Damascus to the rescue. Turkish offensive and their cowardice by the Americans.
Despite their withdrawal from a 120-kilometer-long border strip, the SDS still controls a vast territory that spanned more than a quarter of Syria before the start of the Ankara operation.
These regions have long been in the crosshairs of the Syrian regime seeking to reconquer the whole country.
Triggered more than eight years ago by pro-democracy demonstrations, the Syrian conflict has become more complex over the years, involving a panoply of foreign powers and radical groups. The conflict has left more than 370,000 dead and millions displaced.
With AFP