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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) assassinated a prominent field commander of Jaysh al-Izza in the opposition-held part of the northern Hama countryside on February 22.
Pro-government sources said that a special forces unit had targeted a vehicle that was carrying the commander, Hisham Abd al-Karim Mustafa, and other fighters of the group with an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) near the town of al-Lataminah.
Jaysh al-Izza acknowledged that Mustafa had been killed in northern Hama along with a fighter named Mohamad Munir Mahmoud. Three other fighters were reportedly in juried in the attack.
Hisham Abd al-Karim Mustafa on the left side, and Mohamad Munir Mahmoud on the right
Earlier, the SAA launched a barrage of rockets at Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) positions in the town of Saraqib near the center of Idlib province. The attack destroyed several headquarters and positions of the radical group.
Jaysh al-Izza and HTS are close allies. The two groups are responsible for the majority of daily ceasefire violations in the demilitarized zone.
