Syria: regime forces advance in the city of Saraqeb

The troops of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, supported by the air forces of the Russian ally, advanced on Thursday, February 6, in the city of Saraqeb in the province of Idleb, which still escapes control of Damascus, and which is dominated by the jihadists of Hayat Tahrir al-Cham (HTS, ex-Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda).

"After a day of fighting and a rebel and jihadist counteroffensive, regime forces have taken control of large areas in the city of Saraqeb" in Idleb province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. man (OSDH).

The official Sana agency has confirmed the entry into Saraqeb of the regime forces which have started "sweeping" operations and the "dismantling of mines and explosives by terrorists".

17 civilians killed Thursday

With 110,000 inhabitants a few months ago according to the OSDH, Saraqeb is today almost deserted after months of destructive and deadly bombing. Information confirmed by the Syrian journalist Mirna Al-Hassan, joined to Idleb by France 24. This strategic city is at the junction of two important highways connecting the great metropolis of Aleppo to the coastal province of Latakia and the capital Damascus.

Seventeen civilians, including children, were killed on Thursday, according to a new OSDH report: ten civilians were killed "in a Russian air raid on the eastern outskirts of the city of Idleb" and seven elsewhere in the Idleb province or in the neighboring region of Aleppo, in artillery fire or regime or Russian air raids.

More than half of the province of Idleb and the adjoining sectors of the neighboring regions of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia, are in the hands of the HTS. Other jihadist groups and rebel factions are present there.

According to the OSDH, the jihadists and the rebels "benefit from the support of the Turkish artillery" in combat with government forces near Saraqeb. Ankara did not mention such support. The Syrian army command also accused Turkey of dispatching Turkish tanks north of Saraqeb "to protect the terrorists" and "hinder the advance of the army".

Turkey has a dozen observation posts in the province of Idleb under an agreement with Russia, sponsor of the Syrian regime. Three of these posts in the southeast of the province are currently in areas over which the Syrian regime's forces have taken control thanks to their recent advances, said a Turkish security source.

Westerners condemn "carnage"

Faced with the humanitarian drama provoked by the assault of the Syrian regime which resumed in December against the Idleb region and neighboring areas, the UN Security Council met Thursday in emergency in New York to the request of the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

The Westerners strongly condemned "a carnage" in progress in this province, several countries in particular European calling for "to silence arms". For its part, Iran has offered through its UN ambassador its aid to reduce tensions between Syria and Turkey.

And "there is an urgent need for continuous and immediate unhindered access to the civilian population," said Geir Pedersen, UN envoy for Syria.

In two months, some 586,000 people were displaced by hostilities in this region, half of which is dominated by jihadists and where rebel groups are present, according to a new report by the UN.

Turkey, which has troops in northwestern Syria including Idleb, where it supports rebels, has repeatedly called on Bashar al-Assad and Moscow to stop their offensive.

Tension has escalated between Damascus and Ankara, culminating on Monday with unprecedented fierce fighting between Syrian and Turkish soldiers who killed around 20 people in both camps in areas of northwestern Syria, according to the report. OSDH.

The Idleb front represents the last major strategic battle for the regime, which now controls more than 70% of the territory, according to the OSDH.

Triggered in March 2011 with the suppression of anti-government demonstrations, the war in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and forced millions into exile. The conflict then gained in complexity with the involvement of regional and international powers.

With AFP

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