Netanyahu Vows to Continue Aggression:

Minister: Syria Determined to Liberate Idlib

Date: 25 September 2018 - 21:33

News ID: ۵۷۷۵۶

BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- The Syrian state will recover Idlib through war or peaceful means, a minister was quoted as saying Tuesday, pointing to the government's determination to defeat terrorists there despite a Russian-Turkish deal.
Faisal Mekdad, deputy foreign minister, described the Idlib agreement as part of a wider diplomatic track that created "de-escalation" zones in several areas which he noted had later returned to state rule, Syria's al-Watan newspaper reported.
"As we were victorious in every part of Syria we will be victorious in Idlib and the message is very clear to everyone who is concerned by this matter: We are coming to Idlib through war or peaceful means," Mekdad said.
Under the agreement, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi last month, militants deemed "radical" are to withdraw from the demilitarized zone by the middle of October.
Turkey, which backs some of the militants in Idlib, is to jointly patrol the demilitarized zone with Russia. Heavy weapons are to be removed from the demilitarized zone by Oct. 10.
However, Turkish-backed militants on Saturday rejected laying down their arms or surrendering the territory under their control in Idlib.
"We will not abandon our weapons, our land or our revolution" against Syrian government forces, the so-called National Liberation Front (NLF), an alliance of militant factions supported by Ankara, said in a statement.
The Huras al-Din militant group which includes foreign elements also rejected the Idlib buffer zone deal.
Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful Takfiri terrorist group in Idlib, has not declared its stance on the Idlib agreement yet.
Idlib hosts several foreign-sponsored militant groups and separating what Turkey describes as moderates from extremists is almost impossible.
The Idlib region and an adjoining area north of Aleppo represent the last major terrorist stronghold in Syria, following their defeat across most of the country in military campaigns backed by Russia and Iran.
Mekdad said that all Syrian territory would return to state control, echoing President Bashar al-Assad's vow to recover "every inch" of the country.
While declaring that "radicals" must withdraw, Turkey has said the Syrian "opposition” will stay in their existing areas under the agreement.
On Tuesday, Turkey beefed up its military positions in Idlib Tuesday as the clock ticked down on a mid-October deadline to remove militants from the area.
The deal reached in the Russian resort puts the onus on Turkey, which is now expected to get militants to hand over their heavy weapons and vacate a U-shaped demilitarized zone around Idlib.
Turkey already has 12 military "observation points" dotted across the province and on Tuesday an AFP correspondent saw a convoy of reinforcements after they crossed the border into Idlib.
Around 35 military vehicles travelled south down the main highway near the town of Saraqib after midnight.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a militant alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, controls more than half of the terrorist zone, while NLF fighters hold sway over most of the rest.
Observers have already warned that Turkey's task was almost impossible and the presence of Daesh, over which it has very limited sway, will further muddy the waters.