Russia conducts airstrikes on terrorist sites in Idlib, Latakia
3 Min Read
Al Mayadeen's correspondent to Syria reports that Russia conducted numerous air raids that targeted gatherings of armed terrorists in Idlib and Latakia.
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Smoke plumes rise over Idlib's countryside after the Russian Air Force bombed sites controlled by terrorists in Idlib's countryside, Syria, June 25, 2023 (Social media)
The Russian air force targeted sites held by armed groups in the northern Idlib countryside, an Al Mayadeen correspondent reported Sunday.
The Russian airstrikes, the reporter said, also targeted the operations room of the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham terrorist group, which it uses alongside its allies, in Ariha, south of Idlib.
The Russian aircraft targeted HTS and Turkistan Islamic Party sites in the northern Latakia countryside and the vicinity of Idlib.
An airstrike by the Russian Air Force on HTS sites west of Idlib city. pic.twitter.com/H0EwFMBq6L
— SAM 🇸🇾 (@SAMSyria0) June 25, 2023
Thus far, 25 air strikes have been recorded in the vicinity of Idlib, all of which targeted sites held by HTS and allied forces, an Al Mayadeen correspondent added.
HTS made a public announcement calling on its members to vacate all headquarters and sites to avert the airstrikes being carried out by the Syrian and Russian air forces.
The Russian Aerospace Forces, together with the artillery of the Syrian army, are inflicting intensive strikes on terrorist positions in the Syrian provinces of Idlib and Latakia. pic.twitter.com/8jugeCw9WA
— Sprinter (@Sprinter99880) June 25, 2023
This comes after a Syrian citizen on Friday was martyred and two others were injured in a terrorist attack by two drones that targeted the outskirts of the city of Al-Qardahah in the Lattakia countryside and the town of Deir Shamil in the Hama countryside.
The state-run Syrian news agency SANA cited a security source as saying that one of the two missiles fired by a drone in Lattakia fell in agricultural lands next to Al-Qardaha clinic, killing 25-year-old Mohammad Hani Sultana and injuring another citizen, while causing minor material damage to a building.
RUAF strike Idlib https://t.co/T9gyoVWRcZ pic.twitter.com/GGuYv3nPY0
— ZOKA (@200_zoka) June 25, 2023
Local sources told Al Mayadeen Net that several drones were spotted over the towns of Salhab, Deir Shamil, and Al-Suqaylabiyah and were targeted during their attempts to strike new sites.
SANA also reported that terrorists deployed in the Idlib countryside fired several shells on the town of Deir Shamil town in the Hama countryside through a drone, leaving one woman injured and material damage.
The bombing of HTS sites comes after the Turkish authorities were reported to have been summoning numerous owners of exchange companies owned by Syrians in several Turkish cities for over a week now, interrogating them about the assets owned by Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, the leader of the HTS terror group, sources told Al Mayadeen.
The sources explained that these companies owned by Al-Julani have branches spread within the occupied Syrian governate of Idlib. It appears that these moves by Turkey come, in part, to pressure Al-Julani into ceasing attacks against Turkish-backed armed groups in northern Aleppo.
Sources further confirmed to Al Mayadeen Net that Al-Joulani has connections with some political figures in the opposition coalition government whose members reside in Turkey, and who manage some of Al-Julani's assets.
The terror leader invested in several businesses in Turkish cities, including Izmir, Istanbul, and Ankara. These investments are centered in the tourism and industrial sectors, with a reported total value of $100 million.
Al-Julani's control over Idlib has reached alarming levels, as he not only monopolizes the import of crucial cosmetic materials used in surgical procedures but has also established multiple cosmetic centers meant to disguise wanted individuals. In violation of the law, Julani personally owns and operates ten illicit cosmetic centers in Idlib, with additional stakes in centers located in Sarmada, Dana, and Salqin.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
