More than 100 have been killed since Wednesday evening in fierce clashes between regime troops and jihad-dominated forces in northwestern Syria, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
Violence has centered on Idlib as it is the jihadist group’s last remaining bastion in Syria.
There has been a dramatic rise in the death toll in recent days, with 13 civilians including three children also killed.
Despite a truce, Russian and regime aircraft have increased their aerial bombardments of the region which has been occupied by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadist group (HTS), as well as other rebel and jihadist factions.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned these air strikes.
Retaliation attack
FRANCE 24's expert on jihadist groups Wassim Nasr says that the latest attacks were retaliation for a rebel-led attack to re-take the strategic village of Hamameyat and a hilltop that had been under Syrian army control until Wednesday, when the battle commenced.
“This was the beginning of this rebel and jihadist offensive. They were able to overrun the army there. But then, this morning [Friday] at dawn, the army succeeded in taking back the hill. The rebels lost many fighters, the jihadists lost many fighters, but the Assad army also lost many fighters in this battle.”
<span><span lang="EN-US"><span>Watch Nasr’s full interview by clicking on the link above.</span></span></span>
