Sunday deadliest day of fighting in northwest Syria since ceasefire

JISR AL-SHUGHUR, Syria – An attack on Syrian regime forces in the Sahl al-Ghab area of northwest Syria by extremist factions of the opposition in the early hours on Sunday initiated clashes that left 48 dead, according to U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), making it the most significant breakdown of the two-month-old ceasefire.

The attack, which saw the detonation of two suicide car bombs, killed 35 regime soldiers, with the attackers losing 13 dead, reported SOHR.

Hurras al-Din, an extremist opposition faction with links to Al-Qaeda, was allegedly the main force behind the attack.

The suicide car bombs were conducted with a coordinated rocket barrage that opened gaps in the defensive positions of the regime soldiers which was then exploited by the attacking forces.

Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery was later fired at opposition targets in Jabal al-Zawiya, reportedly resulting in several casualties.