Al Watan has reported that the army now fully controls the city and the Damascus-Aleppo highway. The Syrian Army is reportedly encircling the hills on the outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib province in order to eliminate terrorist snipers entrenched there.
A Syrian military source said earlier that the Syrian Army had blocked the supply lines of the Jabhat al-Nusra* terrorist group's militants after establishing control over the Damascus-Aleppo highway.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Turkish armoured vehicles had entered the Syrian city of Saraqib in Idlib and were currently moving to Khan Sheikhoun, which is under the control of militants.
Turkish regime convoy comes to a halt after air strikes target its pathway towards Morek
— The'Nimr'Tiger (@Souria4Syrians) August 19, 2019
Syrian Army now within 500 meters of the highway at #KhanSheikhoun axis. #GameOver pic.twitter.com/LMKIwtteCE
The Syrian Armed Forces earlier took control of a checkpoint on the north-western border of Khan Sheikhoun, according to reports.
In early August, a long-discussed truce in Idlib entered into force. However, the leadership of the Syrian Armed Forces said it would stop military actions if Turkey implements its obligations under the Moscow-Ankara deal, which was reached in Sochi, Russia last September.
The truce deal stipulates the withdrawal of medium and heavy weapons from the contact line in the area.
Syrian government forces have renewed their activities in the northwest of the country due to the militants’ non-compliance with the agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey.
*Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra, known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham is a terrorist group banned in Russia
