Apr 8, 2015

As soon as Idlib fell into the hands of Jabhat al-Nusra, all eyes were on the Syrian army’s reaction, which announced that what happened was a regrouping operation. The army withdrew its forces and the factions supporting it from inside the city of Idlib and repositioned them in Mastoumeh camp, while the government centers were moved to the city of Jisr al-Shaghour. The scene was thus ready for a crushing battle in the city [of Idlib], which is under constant bombardment.

A field source told As-Safir that what is currently happening is a preparatory, violent bombing operation targeting the gunmen’s positions in the city. The majority of [Idlib’s] residents were displaced to neighboring towns and villages since Jabhat al-Nusra and its allies stormed the city 12 days ago. Meanwhile, [the residents] wait for “zero hour,” when a military operation will be launched to regain the strategic city, which is located in the northwestern corner of Syria and is close to the Turkish border. The Syrian army’s positions were reinforced, and the plan to effectively implement this operation was put in place — with no rush — especially since this operation will entail a direct confrontation with the thousands of gunmen who are coming from the open Turkish border.

In the past few days, the Syrian army reinforced its presence in the Mastoumeh camp, and brought reinforcements from Hama. Col. Suheil al-Hassan and his forces moved to the camp, which explains the heavy bombardment of the city and confirms their determination to regain [Idlib]. The colonel, nicknamed “Tiger,” is considered one of the most prominent officers to have fought Jabhat al-Nusra in Aleppo and Hama, as well as the Islamic State (IS) in the countryside of Homs.

The source added: “In all the battles he has fought, the colonel proved his superiority over the jihadists’ tactics. He has extensive experience in turning the tables and winning battles; he is patient and uses heavy firearms to protect the infantry’s movements.”

For its part, Jabhat al-Nusra, anticipating the operation to regain the city, attacked the Syrian army’s positions. For two days straight, the gunmen launched what they called “the battle for the liberation of Mastoumeh camp.” They were able to enter the [camp] and [stay in it] for several hours, before they found out they had fallen into a trap set up by the Syrian army and the factions allied with it. The army was able to encircle the gunmen inside the village and fought a street war that resulted in the killing of more than 50 Jabhat al-Nusra gunmen, according to the same source. This has pushed the gunmen to stop their attack and retreat, as the army repositioned on the strategic hill that represents the first defense line for the camp, where the forces are concentrated.