In recent months, jihadist Islamist militias have clashed with Russian soldiers stationed in western Syria, according to Western sources familiar with the details, who spoke to Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio).
These incidents occurred in May, about two months ago, during which at least five Russian soldiers were killed in violent confrontations with jihadist militias, according to the sources. Russia has not publicly announced these incidents, and they have remained off the radar until now.
The Islamist militias that succeeded in targeting Russians in western Syria are militias that were used by Al-Jolani's forces in their attempt to seize power in Syria. However, it is still unclear what the relationship is between the Syrian president's regime and these militias, and it is unknown whether the attacks on the Russians were directly orchestrated by the regime.
Despite the fall of Assad's regime, Russia continues to maintain a military presence in Syria, although much smaller, in the western regions of Latakia. Most of the military forces, equipment, and weapons were withdrawn from Syria following Assad's fall.
The unusual clashes, in which even Russian soldiers were hurt, further highlight the chaos in many parts of Syria and underscore that Al-Jolani's regime effectively controls only a small part of Syria's territory, while anarchy prevails in many other regions.
Israeli intelligence officials estimate that in the coming months, Al-Jolani will continue to try to expand and solidify his control in various regions of Syria. Two areas that are currently the focus of the regime's attention are Suwayda in southern Syria and the coastal region and Latakia in western Syria.
Israeli intelligence officials believe that if Al-Jolani manages to establish control over the Suwayda area soon, his next point of interest will be Latakia and the coast, where further clashes of this nature with Russian forces may occur.