Syrian regime forces are awaiting presidential orders to kick off an offensive against the province of Idlib, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday.
The Syrian sources said the forces of regime leader Bashar Assad are on full deployment at all fronts in the east, west and south of the province, in addition to Sahel al-Ghab, a flat expanse of farms and grasslands that stretches across Hama and Idlib.
“Regime forces have completed deployment on the outskirts of military fronts from where they would carry out attacks against Idlib. Other regime forces have also completed military preparations in the countryside of east Latakia ahead of attacking opposition-controlled areas from where they would be able to reach Jisr al-Shaghour, one of the biggest cities in the countryside of west Idlib,” the sources said.
Rami Abdel-Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday Syrian forces had delayed launching the Idlib battle due to “contacts held lately to find a Turkish solution that pleases all parties and would therefore avoid fighting in the north of Syria.”
He said “there are also Russian efforts to reach a deal with opposition factions,” adding that at the same time, “the regime is ready for a battle.”
The monitoring group’s director explained that opposition factions were digging trenches and underground tunnels to prevent regime forces from making any future advance in the area.
Also, civilians were forced to move towards Turkish-controlled areas in the Afrin region, in northern Syria.
Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the Russia-24 broadcaster on Sunday that Syria does not look for any confrontation with Turkey.
Ankara "should understand that Idlib is a Syrian province,” he said, adding that Assad had set a priority to liberate it either through reconciliations or military measures.
Meanwhile, information about intense explosions at the military al-Mazzeh airfield remained unclear Sunday.
Syria’s official SANA news outlet reported that the blasts were caused by an electrical short circuit at a munitions depot near the airport.
However, Abdel Rahman told AFP that the Mazzeh airport, in the western suburbs of Damascus, was hit by a “possible Israeli missile.”
The attack left two pro-regime fighters dead and wounded another 11.
