The NFL shelling a town held by HTS in western Aleppo.
On January 3, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) developed its attack against the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL) and advanced in the opposition-held parts in the governorates of Hama and Idlib.
According to the Syrian news outlet Enab Baladi, the radical group imposed control of the towns of Faqie, Tramla and Arnaba in the southern Idlib countryside and the towns of Shahranaz and Shir Mughar in the northwestern Hama countryside.
The new round of infighting erupted three days ago, when HTS launched an attack on the positions of the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement in the western Aleppo countryside after accusing it of assassinating four of its fighters. The radical group managed to capture several areas from al-Zenki, including the strategic town of Darat Izza.
After the failure of the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement to hold onto its positions, the group’s allies in the NFL joined the battle and announced a total mobilization against HTS on January 2.
The Lebanese al-Mayadeen TV said that more than 180 militants have been killed in the infighting so far. The number of casualties is expected to raise in the upcoming few days as the both sides appears to be determined to eliminate each other.
