Jihadist ‘safe-zone’ offensive ends months of calm in Syria
Beirut — A jihadist offensive in a region of north-western Syria, where a safe-zone deal had brought months of relative calm, prompted heavy government and Russian air strikes on Tuesday, a monitor said. Idlib province and some adjacent areas form one of four so-called de-escalation zones agreed in May by rebel-backer Turkey and government allies, Russia and Iran. Front lines across the province have been relatively quiet since then but intense fighting erupted on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Jihadist factions led by a former al-Qaeda affiliate, which are not included in the de-escalation deal, launched a fierce assault on a string of government-held villages along the border between Idlib and neighbouring Hama province. "An hour later, the regime launched air strikes on the operation’s supply lines. Raids are now ongoing across southern Idlib province and northern parts of Hama province," said observatory head, Rami Abdel Rahman. He said Russian warplanes ...
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