Inter-Opposition Clashes Resume in Northwest Syria after Collapse of Truce

Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)
Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)
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Inter-Opposition Clashes Resume in Northwest Syria after Collapse of Truce

Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)
Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)

Rival Syrian opposition groups in northwestern Syria resumed heavy clashes a day after a fragile truce ended five days of bloody fighting in the last remaining opposition enclave, residents and opposition factions said on Monday.

The main extremist opposition group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), listed as terrorists by the United States, Türkiye and others, forced factions from the Türkiye-backed opposition National Army to accept a peace deal on Saturday that expanded its grip.

Both sides traded accusations that they had reneged on provisions of the Türkiye-brokered deal, which pulls fighters from Afrin and other cities back to their respective frontlines and paves the way for a unified civilian administration.

Intense fighting raged near rugged terrain around Kafr Jana village in northern Aleppo where both sides sent reinforcements. Residents fear the extremist group seeks to capture the strategic border city of Azaz, the administrative center of the mainstream Turkish-backed opposition government.

A commander in a mainstream faction that is staying on the sidelines who requested anonymity said the HTS was approaching the main Bab al Salamah border crossing with Türkiye, northwest of Azaz.

Infighting has weakened the Syrian opposition since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. Their turf wars have helped Assad and his allies recover significant ground.

Western intelligence sources and opposition fighters say HTS has long sought a wider economic and security role in areas in northern Syria beyond its stronghold in the heavily populated city of Idlib.

They say the goal of HTS leader Mohammad al Golani was to expand to other areas the civilian administration that now efficiently runs Idlib region's public services in an attempt to shed the militant image of the group, a former offshoot of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.

"We are working for a project that serves everyone and the goals of the revolution that unites the liberated areas in one army and a joint administration that everyone participates in, civilians and areas," a senior HTS source told Reuters.



Netanyahu Says Israel Is Establishing a New Security Corridor across Gaza

An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Says Israel Is Establishing a New Security Corridor across Gaza

An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is establishing a new security corridor across the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Wednesday, he described it as the Morag corridor, using the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan Younis, suggesting it would run between the two southern cities.

His comments came as Palestinian officials at hospitals inside Gaza said Israeli strikes overnight and into Wednesday had killed more than 40 people, nearly a dozen of them children.

The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its security fence and has greatly expanded since the war against Hamas began in 2023. Israel says the buffer zone is needed for its security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that further shrinks the narrow coastal territory, home to around 2 million people.