IDLIB, Syria — The commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, ruled out a ground attack by the Syrian government forces on Jabal al-Zawiya, in the southern Idlib countryside, although he expected an escalation of the shelling.
During a meeting with a group of media professionals in Idlib July 23, Golani said, “We have fortified Jabal al-Zawiya and the rest of the fronts. We are ready for all scenarios and are able to thwart any enemy attack. We have improved our fighting skills, especially in terms of night fighting, and we have acquired new, advanced weapons, but we will not reveal them just yet.”