Illustrative image, by the SANA
In the noon of March 1, radical militants shelled residential areas in the towns of Mahardah and Suran in the northern Hama countryside with dozens of mortars and rockets. The attack caused material damage only, according to local sources.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said that the attack was carried out by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) responded by destroying several mortar positions and rocket launchers of the radical group in the towns of al-Lataminah, Murak and Kafr Zita.
The upcoming hours will likely witness more retaliation attacks by the army and its allies, who resumed their aerial activities over the demilitarized zone last week.
Despite the deteriorating situation in the demilitarized zone, Turkey has not taken any steps to reinforce the agreement so far. This has encouraged the militants to further escalate their attacks.
