IDLIB, Syria — Well-informed sources told Al-Monitor that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s security apparatus has shut down several gas stations near the Ghazawiya crossing in the western countryside of Aleppo. The crossing separates the HTS-controlled areas in Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo from and the areas controlled by the Sham Legion, a faction affiliated with the Free Syrian Army.
The sources noted that said gas stations are owned by civilians with ties to the Sham Legion. HTS claims they are not civilians but Sham Legion operatives and that the stations are not licensed by the Salvation Government affiliated with HTS.
