A hyped-up offensive operation by jihadist militias linked to Al-Qaeda against the Syrian Arab Army in northern Latakia province has, in practice, failed after 30 minutes of starting with the greatest action undertaken rebel groups not even involving a proper ground assault but rather an artillery duel, Al-Masdar News reports.
In an operation dubbed ‘God will punish them [Syrian Army] with your hands’, the Al-Qaeda affiliate groups Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and Jabal al-Islam have managed to wage an offensive against the Syrian Army in northern Latakia that lasted somewhere around half-an-hour.
The entire engagement did not witness a determined assault by militant fighters against positions of the Syrian army but rather just an exchange of artillery fire by both sides.
