Syrian Army Arrive in Northwestern Provinces to Repel Nusra Attacks - Reports

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) - Additional forces of the Syrian army arrive in the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo and Hama and are ready to repel the attacks of the terrorists from the Hayat Tahrir Ash-Sham group (former Jabhat al-Nusra, banned in Russia), the pro-government Syrian newspaper al-Watan reported on Monday, citing local sources.

"Syrian army forces from military units in the south and in the centre of the country arrive in the north and north-west of Hama Province and south-east of Idlib Province, while other military convoys move north and north-east of Aleppo province," local sources told the newspaper.

The sources added that the army in Aleppo and its neighbourhood is fully prepared "for any confrontation with Nusra, after it seized control all the points on the line of contact with the army."

According to the sources, Nusra terrorists intend to escalate tensions by shelling residential areas of Aleppo and conducting other provocations.

The publication also reported that the Syrian army reinforced its positions in the areas of the cities of Tall Rifat and Manbij in the province of Aleppo, and also blocked all the loopholes through which the militants tried to penetrate the positions of government troops.

According to media reports, Hayat Tahrir Ash-Sham terrorists established control over the city of Atarib in the Syrian province of Aleppo and the international highway leading to the border with Turkey.

On Sunday, Nusra terrorists established complete control over the city of Atarib, main opposition outpost in the western part of Aleppo Province located on the highway leading to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, sources close to the opposition National Liberation Front told the newspaper.

According to the publication's sources, Nusra completely blocked all the routes and passages connecting the western part of the province of Aleppo with its northern part, in order to prevent the arrival of additional opposition forces.

Nusra concentrated its forces around the city of Arihah on the Aleppo-Latakia highway, putting forward an ultimatum to the militants Ahrar al-Sham and Suqour al-Sham to leave the city within 48 hours. The newspaper noted that in the event of the seizure of the city, the terrorists will control a significant part of the Aleppo-Latakia highway. At the same time, the terrorists of the group surrounded the city of Ma'arat al-Nu'man in the province of Idlib, held by the opposition, the newspaper noted.

READ MORE: Syrian Army Stations Along Western Border of Manbij Region — Correspondent

The newspaper's sources noted the "official silence" of the Turkish side and the lack of coverage in the Turkish media of what is happening in northern Syria, including the squeeze-out of the militants of the Nour al-Din al-Zenki group sponsored by Ankara. This may mean that Ankara accepted everything that Hayat Tahrir Ash-Sham group planned, "without any on-the-ground reaction," sources told the newspaper.