Turkish report: Egypt sends forces to support Assad in Syria

Syrian government soldiers sit atop a tank driving in the village of Khan Tuman, about 17 kilometres southwest of the northern city of Aleppo, on February 1, 2020 [Stringer / AFP via Getty Images]

Egypt has sent nearly 150 soldiers to Syria to fight in the ranks of the Assad regime, military sources told Anadolu Agency.

The soldiers had been sent to the Aleppo countryside, Idlib area in coordination with Iranian Revolutionary Guards via the Hama Military Airport.

The troops were later deployed in the Khan Al-Asal area in the western countryside of Aleppo and around the city of Saraqib in the southern countryside of Idlib.

Egyptian soldiers are deployed with light weapons and accompanied by Iran-backed groups on the front lines against Syrian opposition factions.

READ: Civilians killed in Syria’s Idlib by regime forces’ air attacks

The arrival of the Egyptian soldiers coincides with increasing deployments of Iranian groups and regime forces on the frontlines against the opposition forces deployed in the de-escalation zone amid violations of the ongoing cease-fire in the region.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018.

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