Terrorists belonging to the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise attack in Syria that killed 200 people, Israeli media reported early Friday morning.
HTS forces blocked the main road from Damascus to Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights report found that the attack killed 102 HTS fighters, 19 members of allied groups, 61 from the Syrian regime forces and their supporters, and 20 civilians.
The civilians were reportedly killed during joint operations between the Russian and Syrian militaries.
HTS-backed attacks seen this week are reportedly the first major effort by the Jihadist forces to take territory since Turkey and Russia settled on an agreement in 2019 to halt fighting in the Idlib region.
HTS evolved from al-Qaeda's former branch in Syria, the Nusrah Front.
Largest territorial gains since 2019
Earlier this week, HTS and its allies announced on their Telegram channel that they took over base 46, the largest Syrian government base near Aleppo. The group claimed to have taken members of pro-government forces hostage, seized tanks from the bases, and taken over nearby villages, according to reporting from the New York Times.
The Jihadist forces also seized weapons and vehicles from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Times reported.
Reuters reported that Turkish security sources said that the gains made by HTS remained within the boundaries of the Idlib de-escalation zone agreed in 2019 by Russia, Iran, and Turkey.