Syrian army targets HTS tunnels in Idlib
3 Min Read
Since the start of the year, the Syrian Army has significantly increased its operations against the positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its affiliated factions in Idlib.
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Syrian army fighting terrorists in Aleppo's eastern Karm al-Jabal neighborhood on December 5, 2016. (AFP)
The Syrian Army has conducted numerous operations against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkistan Islamic Party in Idlib since the beginning of this year. These operations involved precise and intensive drone strikes, resulting in the death and injury of many militants and the destruction of several vehicles.
Since the start of the year, the Syrian Army has significantly increased its operations against the positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its affiliated factions in Idlib, utilizing suicide drones. These operations have caused significant casualties among the militants and the destruction of their military vehicles. Moreover, the army has targeted the militants inside their tunnels with precise strikes.
The Syrian Army has documented several of these operations, releasing footage that showcases its precision strikes on the militants' positions and vehicles using explosive-laden drones. The videos demonstrate human and material losses among the militants, with no harm inflicted on civilians. This contradicts the militants' claims, as they often try to manipulate media coverage to depict civilian casualties. The images released by the Syrian Army confirm the inaccuracy of these reports circulated by the militants on social media platforms.
Al-Joulani sidelines more than 400 leaders in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Over the course of four months, Abu Mohammad al-Joulani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), conducted the largest arrest operation targeting security, military, and economic leaders within the group. He accused them of planning a military coup against him in cooperation with foreign intelligence.
Al-Joulani leveraged these accusations to eliminate all his competitors in HTS leadership, gain control of the city of Idlib, and incarcerate over 400 military, security, financial, and economic leaders in prisons under his control.
Farouk Abu Bakr, the military leader of the armed factions, informed Al Mayadeen that when al-Joulani discovered that other leaders were communicating with foreign countries' intelligence services, he attempted to isolate these leaders such as Abu Maria al-Qahtani, marking a significant turning point.
Abu Bakr explained that al-Qahtani attempted to position himself as an alternative to al-Joulani, but the latter uncovered the scheme and apprehended al-Qahtani before he could assemble a force that might challenge al-Joulani's authority.
He explained that al-Joulani accused al-Qahtani of colluding and orchestrating a coup against his leadership with the assistance of Western intelligence, adding that "this purported scheme aimed to transfer control of the emirate in Idlib to a military council led by Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, who had defected from the Syrian army."
Read next: HTS kills 10 civilians, including child, in attack on Aleppo
![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)")
