Syria has been witnessing conflicts for over 12 years between the Syrian opposition and the Syrian regime, as well as extremist groups. At least 9 Syrian soldiers were killed on Friday, and 12 others were injured during an attack carried out by extremists in northwestern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The observatory stated that "9 Syrian soldiers were killed and 12 others were injured as a result of fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham infiltrating a military site in the Jabal al-Akrad area north of Latakia."

The observatory mentioned that 3 of the extremists were killed during their infiltration operation.

Friday's attack is the second within a week, following the killing of 11 Syrian soldiers in an attack carried out by fighters from the Ansar al-Tawhid faction and the Turkistan Islamic Party (allied with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) in the northwest of the country on August 26, according to the observatory.

Seven fighters from the group were killed in a bombing by Syrian army forces in northern the country on August 25, during a time when the region has seen an escalation in the pace of bombings in recent weeks, specifically from Russian aircraft, in response to bombings by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions targeting areas under the control of the army using drones, according to the observatory.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham controls about half of the area of Idlib province and adjacent areas in the neighboring provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, and Hama. The region is home to 3 million people, nearly half of whom are displaced.

The Idlib region has a ceasefire negotiated by Russia and Turkey following the regime's attack in March 2020. It is generally respected, despite frequent violations.

Syria has been experiencing a bloody conflict since 2011, which has resulted in the deaths of more than half a million people, caused massive destruction to infrastructure, and led to the displacement and displacement of millions of people both inside and outside the country.