Syrian tanks around the area of Al-Rabi’a, in the rural area of Maarat Nu’man (SANA, December 21, 2019).
The Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham launches a (self-manufactured) Al-Fil rocket at Syrian army positions in Al-Rafa, southeast of Maarat Nu’man (Ibaa, December 21, 2019)
Dust and smoke rising from the village of Al-Tah, the stronghold of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham, taken over by the Syrian army and the Russian fighter jets (SANA, December 22, 2019)
On December 20, 2019, the Syrian army launched an attack against the rebel organizations in the Idlib region, in continuation of the ground offensive carried out over the last month. The attack was accompanied by artillery fire and intense Syrian and Russian airstrikes. So far, the Syrian army has taken over dozens of towns and villages west and southwest of Maarat Nu’man, east of the M-5 highway to Aleppo and Idlib (see map). The Syrian army’s attack is still underway. In the ITIC’s assessment, the objective of the Syrian army is to establish its presence on the M-5 highway leading northward and take over Maarat Nu’man. This is essential for the army in order to prepare for the attack on Idlib, the rebel stronghold, with the aim of achieving a decisive victory in the effort to take over the Idlib region, which has been going on for eight months. Despite the fierce resistance of the rebel organizations, the Syrian army’s advance was relatively quick. The Syrian forces are now at a distance of about 10 km from the city of Maarat Nu’man (updated to the noon of December 23, 2019).
Syrian army offensive: The areas taken over by the Syrian army in the offensive that started on December 20, 2019 (1); the four villages taken over by the Syrian army on December 1, 2019 (2); the three villages in the area of Mushayrafa, taken over by the Syrian army on November 24, 2019 (3) (Google Maps)
- According to media reports, the attacking troops were headed by the forces of “the Tiger” (under the command of Col. Suhail Hassan). They were joined by additional units, including forces of the Al-Quds Brigade (a Syrian-Palestinian brigade). The attacking forces were supported by artillery and intense Russian and Syrian airstrikes.
- Following are highlights of the events so far (noon of December 23, 2019):
- On December 20, 2019, the Syrian army launched an attack and took over several command posts of the rebel organizations east and southeast of the city of Maarat Nu’man (the city is now inhabited by about 90,000 residents, as opposed to over 370,000 before the civil war). The rebel forces were repelled and the Syrian army took over ten villages and farms on the first day of the attack (SANA, December 21, 2019).
- On December 21, 2019, the Syrian army maintained its momentum. The attacking Syrian forces destroyed command posts and fortifications of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham and took over six additional villages. The advance on the second day met with fierce resistance of the rebel organizations, headed by the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham (SANA; Khotwa, December 21, 2019). At the same time, the Syrian and Russian air forces carried out airstrikes against the rebel forces on the main routes in the combat zone. A suicide bomber of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham detonated a car bomb among Syrian soldiers, causing many fatalities (See below).
- On December 22, 2019, the Syrian army and the forces supporting it took over 11 additional towns and villages east and southeast of Maarat Nu’man, after operatives of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham and other rebel organizations had retreated from the area. The Syrian army continued to advance towards Maarat Nu’man. During the battles, the Syrian army took over the stronghold of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham in the village of Al-Tah, east of the M-5 highway.
The combat zone (updated to December 21, 2019). Green: Control area of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham and the other rebel organizations; Red: Control area of the Syrian army and the forces supporting it; Blue: The area taken over by the Syrian army on December 20-21, 2019; Yellow: Combat zones on December 21 (Khotwa, December 22, 2019)
- On December 23, 2019, fighting between the sides subsided due to the deterioration of the weather conditions. On the noon of December 23, 2019, the jihadi rebel organizations mounted a counterattack but could not retake any territory. The Syrian army stopped advancing from the midnight of December 22, 2019. On the morning of December 23, 2019, Russian Air Force fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Maarat Nu’man and several other towns and villages (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 23, 2019).
Casualties since the beginning of the attack in the Maarat Nu’man area (interim summary)
- Since the beginning of the campaign in the Maarat Nu’man area on the evening of December 19, 2019, until December 22, 2019, 220 people were killed. Fatalities included 122 operatives of the rebel organizations, of which 101 were of jihadi organizations (mainly the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham). A total of 98 soldiers and operatives of the forces supporting the Syrian army were also killed (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 23, 2019). The large numbers of fatalities on both sides may indicate the fierce fighting in the area. Thousands of civilians leave the city and its environs and flee to the relatively safe area of the Syrian-Turkish border. Among the fatalities of the Syrian army, the “Tiger forces” occupy a prominent place, apparently due to their leading position at the head of the attacking forces.
Car bomb detonated by the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham
- On the second day of the Syrian offensive (December 21, 2019), a suicide bomber belonging to the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham detonated a car bomb among Syrian army forces in the village of Al-Rafa (14 km southeast of Maarat Nu’man). According to a media announcement of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham, 30 Syrian soldiers were killed in the blast and 50 others were wounded (Khotwa; Ibaa, December 21, 2019). According to social media, about 15 soldiers of the “Tiger forces” were killed in the car bomb explosion. The Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham reported that fatalities included Brigadier General Bassel Ali Khodur, commander of one of the units of the “Tiger forces” (Ibaa, December 22, 2019).
Syrian army vehicles (marked by red circles in the original) which were destroyed in the car bomb explosion (Ibaa, December 21, 2019)
Battle for hearts and minds
- On December 22, 2019, the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham announced that its media office had called on all operatives (who were not fighting) to take part in putting an end to “enemy’s” propaganda, thereby supporting the fighting carried out by the jihad fighters. Operatives were called upon to provide media coverage to the “enormous effort” made by jihadi operatives to defend the Idlib region (Ibaa, December 22, 2019).
