A convoy sped along the highway, leaving clouds of dust in its wake.
The soldiers in the vehicles wore yellow-brown camouflage uniforms and carried guns fitted with special equipment.
Every soldier wore a solemn expression, constantly alert to the movements around them.
At the center of the convoy was a transport truck concealed beneath desert camouflage canvas. Surrounded by armored vehicles and special forces, it stood out conspicuously.
If outsiders saw the unit's insignia, they would immediately recognize it as one of the Syrian Army's elite forces: the Tiger Forces, the Syrian military's bravest and most battle-hardened troops, known as the "Sword of Bashar."
Inside one of the central vehicles sat a man in silence. He wore a military uniform, had a full beard, and possessed a lean, powerful build. His sharp gaze carried an icy indifference that made people afraid to meet his eyes.
If his enemies saw him, they would undoubtedly panic.
He was Suheil al-Hassan, supreme commander of the Tiger Forces and a legendary Syrian Army commander, an idol-like figure in the hearts of Syrian soldiers.
To personally command the Tiger Forces in battle, he had turned down Bashar's promotion to brigadier general.
During the Battle of Aleppo, he led the Tiger Forces like the sharpest surgical blade, splitting enemy positions apart and making the greatest contribution to retaking Halab. Later, he earned tremendous achievements in repeated campaigns to eliminate militants. Bashar personally awarded him medals and promoted him two ranks in succession to major general.
After disappearing from the battlefield for a time, Hassan had appeared once more on the battlefield of Halab.
By the time his superiors appointed him overall commander of the Halab battlefield, he had already obtained all available intelligence on the current conflict.
Three days earlier, a group of roughly eight hundred