New military reinforcements were sent Sunday by Syrian regime forces and loyalists to the frontlines of Idlib province in northwestern Syria.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, regime forces brought in the new forces to the frontlines of Jabal al-Zawiya in the southern Idlib countryside, and al-Talhiya frontlines, east of the town of Taftanaz.
Opposition factions and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have fortified their positions in the southern sector of Idlib countryside and the frontlines in Sahl Al-Ghab, while Turkish forces have reinforced and their positions in Jabal al-Zawiya, the Observatory said.
It referred to reports saying that Turkish forces have deployed air defense systems atop of the strategic “Al-Nabi Ayoub” hill in Jabal al-Zawiya.
“The ongoing reinforcements by both sides come as the region may see a new military operation, if the Russian-Turkish negotiations fail, on several issues, most notably the Aleppo-Latakia international M4 highway and the return of civilians to their areas after being displaced due to the recent military operations,” the rights monitor added.
Meanwhile, Naji Mustafa, the spokesperson of the National Liberation Front (NLF), said Sunday that Russian and Iranian violations in Idlib have increased lately.
In a statement to the Syria Call website, Mustafa said militias targeted residential neighborhoods in the southern Idlib countryside with artillery shells and drones.
He said Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia and the Syrian Presidential Guards’ Fourth Armored Division have brought in more forces to the area.