[13] ISIL members that attacked HTS allegedly sneaked into northern Hama from the area east of Salamiyah where they had been besieged by the Syrian Army.

[citation needed] An opposition activist accused Syrian government forces of opening a 13-kilometer gap for ISIL militants to enter HTS territory.

[89] On 2 November, the Army launched an assault on a different axis, attacking and capturing four villages, including the rebel stronghold of Al-Rashadiyah, in the southern countryside of Aleppo.

[91] On 3 November, the Republican Guard and Qalamoun Shield stormed the HTS-held village of Al-Shakusiyah, eventually capturing it after hours of fighting, although they suffered heavy casualties as HTS and the FSA's Central Division used anti-tank missiles and artillery fire.

[101] On 21 November, under the cover of bad weather, ISIL forces attacked from their small pocket HTS positions and managed to capture four villages.

[127] Meanwhile, on 5 December, ISIL started making new advances against the rebels, coming to within 10 km of Idlib Governorate's administrative boundaries[128] and capturing eight villages by the following day.

[134] This stage of the fighting saw major displacement of civilians; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported on 4 January that more than 60,000 people had fled their homes in Hama and Idlib between 1 November and 24 December.

[135] Mid-December, much of the fighting between pro-government forces and rebels had moved to southwestern Aleppo, with the Syrian Army reportedly capturing four villages and two hills from HTS between 14 and 19 December.

[136][137][138][139] An attempt by the Army to capture the village of Al-Ramleh (in the southeastern countryside of the Aleppo Governorate, according to reports) on 20 December was repelled, with HTS nearly encircling government troops.

[140] A renewed offensive by pro-government forces began in December, with its main target the rebel-held air base of Abu al-Duhur on the southeastern edge of Idlib and securing the road linking Damascus to Aleppo.

[148][149][150] Intense Russian airstrikes were reported on 28–29 December, alongside heavy fighting concentrated in the key village of Abu Dali in southern Idlib.

[163] Further into 6 January, three rural settlements, including Sheikh Barakeh, were captured, in resulting the Syrian Army reaching the outskirts of the key crossroad town of Sinjar.

[191][192] On the same day, the Syrian army captured three villages east of Abu al-Duhur Airbase,[193] and conducted heavy air raids during the night, killing at least 11 civilians, including in Khan al-Sabil in southern Idlib.

[175][196] With support from a range of heavy weaponry, Tahrir al-Sham and Turkistan Islamic Party fighters launched a major assault against government forces on 14 January, resulting in capture of 21 villages throughout the day.

[202][203] On the same day, the Syrian Army said it had acquired partial fire control from the north over Abu al-Duhur Airbase after capture of 3 settlements and a hill.

[204][205] Meanwhile, the Syrian army captured another 5 villages in the southwest countryside of Aleppo, resulting in flanking of Abu al-Duhur airbase from two sides as it neared encirclement.

[206][207][208] Settlements of Qaytil and Umm Salasil have been captured in southwestern Aleppo countryside by the Syrian army and allied paramilitaries, resulting in them inching closer towards connecting with units in eastern Idlib Governorate.

[219] Also on 21 January, Syrian Army and allied paramilitary forces also captured two villages from ISIL in northeastern Hama, and five more settlements from opposition groups in eastern Idlib and southwestern Aleppo provinces.

[223] the Syrian army captured the town of Abu al-Duhur after two days of clashes with Tahrir al-Sham and Turkistan Islamic Party fighters.

[226] Tahrir al-Sham detonated a car bomb upon a squad of Syrian Army personnel, resulting in the deaths of 5 soldiers on 23 January.

[229][230][231] During the morning of 31 January, the Syrian Army reported that it captured 7 villages and an air defense base in eastern Idlib governorate, and 9 more settlements, several hills and al-Seihah swamp later in the day.

[242][243][244] On 2 February, it was confirmed that key assault units of the elite Tiger Forces Division which had led the Syrian Army's eastern Idlib offensive against the rebels were to soon end their operation in the region and depart to another front.

[245] On 3 February 2018, unidentified militants (claimed by both HTS and the Army of Victory) shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 jet over the province of Idlib, near the town of Maarrat al-Nu'man (57 km north of the city of Hama), presumably by means of a man-portable air-defence system.

[67] The pilot, Major Roman Filipov, was killed after he ejected and exchanged gunfire with the militants on the ground, near the ″terrorists-held village of Tell-Debes″, according to the Russian defence ministry.

[262] Following the formation of the "Repel the Invaders" operations room, involving seven rebel groups Ahrar al-Sham,[14] Turkish forces deployed military personnel in monitoring outposts close to the front line: in Salwa, north of Idlib; Qalat Samaan and Sheikh Aqeel, west of Aleppo; al-Iss, south of Aleppo; al-Tuqan, a southern suburb of Idlib city; and al-Sirman, near Maarat al-Numan.

[263] Anti-HTS Islamist rebel factions Nour al-Din al-Zenki and Ahrar al-Sham merged into the Syrian Liberation Front on 18 February,[263] whose fighting with HTS intensified.