Russia, Syria launch joint attack in northeast Latakia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s attempted bombardment of the Hmeimim Airbase on Monday, May 6 did not go as planned for the militant group as the Russian air defenses managed to destroy all of the attack drones, Al-Masdar News reports.

Following the attempted militant drone attack on the Hmeimim Airbase near the coastal city of Jableh, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their Russian allies unleashed a powerful assault that devastated Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s positions in northeastern Latakia.

According to a military source near the town of Salma, the Syrian Arab Army’s 42nd Brigade of the 4th Armored Division began the assault by firing a plethora of missiles from their domestically-made Golan-1000 system towards the militant stronghold of Kabani.

Shortly after the 42nd Brigade began their attack, the Russian Air Force joined the assault by launching several airstrikes over the hilltops in Kabani; they would manage to hit many militant targets, including the command-and-control centers of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham.

The joint Russian-Syrian attack reportedly inflicted heavy casualties within the ranks of the militant group, while also destroying many of their installations in the process.

The joint attack by the Russian and Syrian forces was both retaliatory (response to Hmeimim bombardment) and the start of an operation to clear the key mountaintop town of Kabani. The Syrian Army is expected to storm Kabani in the coming days as they push towards the Jisr Al-Shughour countryside.