July 5, 2019 - 12:25 AMT
Syrian and Russian forces mull new offensive in Idlib: report

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian military command are in talks about a new offensive in northwestern Syria, an army source in Damascus said, Al-Masdar News reports.

According to the source, the Russian-Turkish peace talks have completely collapsed in northern Syria, with Moscow resuming their heavy airstrikes on the militant forces in the Idlib, Latakia, Aleppo, and Hama governorates.

The source said the Russian Air Force sent a powerful message to the Turkish military on Wednesday when their jets destroyed an underground base belonging to the Ankara-backed National Liberation Front inside the town of Madaya in rural Idlib.

He added that the Syrian Arab Army and Russian military are planning a big offensive to expand in the Al-Zawiya Mountain region and nearby Al-Ghaab Plain.

At the same time, new reports from northwestern Syria are indicating that the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and their Turkish-backed allies are preparing to launch a massive offensive to retake the ground they lost in northwestern Hama.

With both sides preparing to launch offensives, the month of July is expected to witness nearly as much violence as May and June.