Syrian opposition forces yesterday launched an offensive in the Bayırbucak region, located in the western Latakia province and near the Yayladağı district on the Turkish border, to regain areas captured by the Bashar Assad regime.

Fifteen hills and regime positions including the strategic Burj al-Zahia hill were captured by opposition forces during the operation. Also, two tanks of the Assad regime were destroyed. After the offensive, the regime forces started shelling Bayırbucak, also known as the Turkmen mountains.

In the final months of 2015, the Assad regime captured almost 85 percent of the Bayırbucak region, on the outskirts of the regime's stronghold western Latakia province, with intense air support from Russia. After the operation, nearly 20,000 Turkmens and Arabs fled to Turkey.

Despite the de-escalation agreement, the Assad regime's intermittent attacks and bombardments have killed, wounded and displaced thousands of people in Idlib. Residential areas have been destroyed by indiscriminate attacks while numerous educational facilities, health facilities and residential areas have collapsed or have become unusable after being targeted by bombs.