Terrorist Groups Threaten to Launch Offensive on Latakia, Hama - Idlib Governor

HAMA (Sputnik) - The threat of terrorists based in Syria's Idlib province launching a large-scale operation on the northern areas of neighboring Latakia and Hama provinces remains, Muhammad Fadi Sadun, the acting governor of Idlib, told Sputnik in an interview.

"There is a threat of armed groups organizing large-scale attacks in northern Latakia and northern Hama. But the Syrian army is taking measures and is ready to repel possible attacks," the official said.

According to Sadun, the militants of the Jabhat al-Nusra* terror group have taken hold of the strategic section of the Latakia-Ariha highway and fire at positions of the Syrian army in the north of Hama and Latakia along the demilitarized zone.

READ MORE: Solution on Idlib Should Precede Syria Political Settlement — Iraqi Minister

On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a 9-12 mile deep demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces.

The province of Idlib in northwest Syria is the last remaining stronghold of terrorist groups operating in the country, including Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization, which has joined forces with four other jihadi groups in Idlib to form a terrorist alliance called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, widely regarded as the dominant force on the ground in the province.

Jabhat al-Nusra is a terrorist group banned in Russia