Syrian Army officially cuts off rebel supply route from Turkey

Hezbollah, Syrian Army officially cutoff rebel supply route from Turkey

al Masdar News,

7 February, 2016

The Syrian Arab Army’s 154th Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division and Hezbollah have officially cutoff the Islamist rebels main supply route from the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Saturday, marking the first time in nearly 3 years that they have had a presence along the Aleppo-Gaziantep Highway that flows through the Aleppo Governorate’s northern countryside.

With the recent capture of Rityan and Mayer in northern Aleppo, the Syrian Armed Forces have finally reached the Aleppo-Gaziantep Highway near the contested villages of Bayyanoun, Kafr Naya, and Hayyan after a violent battle with the Islamist rebels of Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group), the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Jaysh Al-Mujahiddeen, Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham.

The Aleppo-Gaziantep Highway was the primary roadway for the Islamist rebels to transfer supplies and reinforcements to the provincial capital of the Aleppo Governorate; its obstruction forces the opposition to rely on seasonal roads from the Idlib Governorate that are easy targets for the Russian and Syrian Air Forces.