Latakia province in Syria attacked by militants

The jihadist-led Jaysh al Fateh (Army of Conquest) coalition and its allies launched a new assault on Syrian regime positions in the coastal province of Latakia on 27 June.

The offensive in Latakia is the second to be launched by the joint venture this month. Jaysh al Fateh seized several villages in the southern Aleppo province in first three weeks of June.

The offensive, named the “Battle of Yarmouk,” is being fought by a mix of jihadists and fighters affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Al Nusrah Front and Ahrar al Sham, the two most important constituents in Jaysh al Fateh, are both participating in the fighting. Al Nusrah is al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria. Ahrar al Sham models itself after the Taliban and has its own connections to al Qaeda.

Much of the fighting has centered on strategically important areas in Latakia such as Mount Turkmen and Mount Akrad, both of which have witnessed numerous battles since the beginning of Syrian war.

Russian airstrikes have also repeatedly targeted fighters in the area.

Sources close to Bashar al Assad’s regime were quick to portray the offensive as a failure. According to Al Masdar News, the insurgents retreated as Russian warplanes bombed the area.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) claimed that the offensive was thwarted. Syrian army “units in cooperation with popular defense groups repelled an assault by terrorist groups on a number of military posts” in the northern countryside Latakia, SANA reported yesterday.

The Jaysh al Fateh coalition has fought in several areas of Syria, but Al Nusrah and Ahrar are always the leading parties.