Thread by @Charles_Lister

.@eldorar1 reports on an #HTS "behind enemy lines" attack on #Syria's 4th Division in Buqrus in Deir ez Zour.

eldorar.com/node/133287

I cannot find any #HTS acknowledgement or claim for this anywhere = unusual.

If confirmed, it'd be #HTS first attack in DZ in nearly 5yrs.

@eldorar1 NEW - #HTS's Eba'a News Agency has issued a formal claim of responsibility for an attack on #Assad regime forces in Deir ez Zour - the first such attack in nearly 5yrs.

Questions still remain re. details, but this could be a big, big development. #Syria

@eldorar1 #pt: #HTS's claim of an attack in eastern #Syria for the first time since mid-2014, just says after #ISIS's territorial defeat, is remarkable.

That it took place in Shuheil territory though was entirely predictable - they'd long represented Nusra's central node in Deir ez Zour.

@eldorar1 #pt: What's unclear is if this is a one-off or part of a sustainable campaign.

Remember, #HTS's anti-#Assad credentials *far* outweigh those of #ISIS, not to mention its more effective/durable tribal outreach efforts pre-'14.

With the east in transition, #HTS sees opportunity.