The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) announced that clashes between Damascus government forces and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) gangs have been ongoing since the early hours of Wednesday morning, November 27.

According to SOHR, battles between Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and opposition factions on one hand, and regime forces and their proxy militias on the other have intensified in Aleppo and Idlib countryside and have left 182 combatants dead until now. The fatalities include 102 HTS members,19 members of the “National Army” factions, 40 members of regime forces, including four officers, six Iranian-backed militiamen, 15 militiamen of different nationalities, including an Iranian advisor.

The fighting followed the launch of “Deterrence of Aggression” operation by the HTS.

Earlier today, SOHR sources reported that the factions managed to take control of Shabour village near Saraqib city in the eastern countryside of Idlib and enter a neighbourhood of the city from the western side. This followed violent clashes with regime forces and militias loyal to them.

According to SOHR, the factions also captured eight regime soldiers in Ajil village and the vicinity of the housing complexes near it, during a combing operation.

On the other hand, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and supporting factions have cut off the Damascus-Aleppo international highway (M5) near Al-Zarbah town in the Aleppo countryside. Rebels also took control of the point where M4 and M5 highways meets near Saraqeb city, blocking the two highways, which had been reopened by regime forces a few years ago.

Since early 2024, SOHR has documented 370 operations in the “de-escalation zone,” including attacks by ground forces, infiltration operations, gunfire by snipers, bombardment, clashes and kamikaze drone attacks, which left 550 combatants and civilians dead. In addition, these operations left over 150 combatants, including a Turkish soldier, and 257 civilians, including 13 women and 66 children, injured.

Title Photo: SOHR