The US Central Command, affiliated to the Ministry of Defense, announced yesterday that it launched a military strike targeting an Al-Qaeda terrorist organization north of Idlib in Syria, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that rocket strikes targeted a meeting of leaders of militant groups near the city of Idlib that resulted in the fall 40 dead. The strikes coincided with the entry into force of a ceasefire declared by Russia, in force, yesterday morning.
"The operation targeted al-Qaeda leaders in Syria responsible for attacks that threaten Americans, our partners and innocent civilians," said Lt. Col. Earl Brown, head of media operations at the Central Command. Brown did not specify what weapons were used in the attack.
Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that 40 extremists, including leaders, were killed by rocket shelling that targeted a meeting of leaders of different terrorist organizations east of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria.
The director of the observatory, Rami Abdulrahman, said that the missile strikes targeted a meeting held by the leaders of the factions of the guards of religion and supporters of Tawhid and allied groups, in a training camp belonging to them, on the road Maatmasrin - Al Foah. Near Idlib, killing at least 40 of them. The observatory was unable to determine whether the planes carried out the strikes, or were the result of long-range rocket fire, at a time when a ceasefire in the region, announced by Russia and approved by the Syrian government, was in force.
The airstrikes on Idlib stopped yesterday morning as a ceasefire declared by Russia, an ally of the Syrian government trying to control the region, came into effect, according to the Observatory.
Confrontations between Syrian forces and insurgents on the outskirts of Idlib also came to a halt after the unilateral truce took effect, but artillery and rocket strikes continued.
Earlier, the faction «National Liberation Front», operating in Idlib, denied knowledge of Russia's announcement of a ceasefire, stressing that the fighting is still continuing on a daily basis on all axes.
A spokesman for the National Front said the factions were constantly working on defensive plans.
The Russian army announced on Friday a unilateral ceasefire, abided by the Syrian army, to enter into force on Saturday morning in the Idlib area.
According to a statement issued by the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, an agreement was reached «unilateral ceasefire, by the Syrian government forces, as of 6:00 at 31 August».
The statement added that «the Russian Center for Reconciliation calls on the leaders of armed groups to stop provocations, and join the process of settlement in areas under their control».
Damascus was quick to announce its acceptance of the ceasefire, the official SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying, "while retaining the right to respond to any breach."
According to the Syrian Observatory, the death toll since the start of the escalation in late April about 4100 people, more than a quarter of them civilians.
On Thursday, Syrian forces made further progress in Idlib province, controlling several villages and towns, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
On Thursday, seven civilians, including two children, were killed in shelling of two villages in the southern countryside of Idlib, according to the Observatory, the day after 12 civilians were killed in raids on residential neighborhoods in Ma'aret al-Numan.
After months of heavy bombardment since the end of April on several areas in and around Idlib, Syrian forces began an offensive on the eighth of last month in the southern countryside of Idlib, where the international road linking Aleppo city north to the capital Damascus. Ten days ago, it took control of the city of Khan Sheikhoun, located on the road, and has since been trying to advance in its surroundings more.
Idlib and its environs are covered by a Russian-Turkish agreement reached in Sochi in September 2018, which provided for the establishment of a demilitarized zone, but its implementation has not been completed.
"Russia and the Syrian government are ready to give Turkey a new opportunity to implement the terms of the Sochi agreement," said Sam Heller, an International Crisis Group researcher.
But at the same time, "Damascus and Moscow may be aiming for this cessation of operations for a period of time, consolidating their field gains and preparing for the next phase of the attack." The nearly four-month escalation has driven more than 400,000 people from the region, according to the UN, while more than 950 civilians have been killed in Idlib, according to the Observatory. In early August, Damascus suspended a similar truce three days after its entry into force, accusing the factions in Idlib of violating it.
Since the escalation began at the end of April, 43 hospitals and health facilities, as well as 87 schools in and around Idlib, have been affected by the shelling, according to the UN.
"The attacks we have seen on health and educational facilities are among the highest in the world," Panos Moumtzis, the regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis, told AFP. "This is unacceptable." Entire towns and villages in southern Idlib and northern Hama are now empty, according to the UN. Nearly half of the displaced live in camps, shelters or in the open. "The rate of displacement of one family in Idlib is five times," Moumtzis said, one of the highest recorded by the United Nations during the years of conflict in Syria.