Russian airstrikes targeted a military base owned by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the northwest Syrian city of Idlib early Monday, August 21, resulting in the death of at least eight fighters.
At least eight fighters were killed in Russian air strikes early Monday targeting a military base belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s northwest Idlib city, a war monitor said.
Several other fighters were wounded in the strikes, with some in critical condition, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria.
Jihadist group HTS, led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate, controls swathes of Idlib province, parts of which form the last bastions of armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
HTS also controls parts of the adjacent Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo provinces.
Russia has repeatedly struck the Idlib stronghold over the years.
Moscow is a major ally of Damascus, and its intervention in Syria since 2015 helped to turn the tide in the regime’s favor.
Syria’s war has killed more than half a million people and forced around half of the country’s pre-war population from their homes.
Since 2020, a ceasefire deal brokered by Damascus ally Moscow and rebel-backer Ankara has largely held in Syria’s northwest, despite periodic clashes.
Katrine Houmøller, with AFP
