Turkey Says Ceasefire Holding in Syria’s Idlib

Russian Defense Ministry claims several shootings in area

Last week’s ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib Province is largely holding through the weekend, with Turkey’s Defense Ministry issuing a statement saying all is well, while threatening retaliation if anything did happen.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported a handful of incidents, including three shootings in Idlib, and more in Latakia and Aleppo. There were no further details on these, and generally speaking, there were no reports of large, high-casualty incidents.

The deal was made between Russia and Turkey, and is intended to end fighting in Idlib. Turkey and Russia will carry out joint patrols on the M4 highway, and rebels will be relocated to the north of the highway.

Turkey had previously been threatening to expel Syrian forces from the province outright, but has also faced the risk of a war with Russia. The deal splits them along the highway, which means Syria keeps territory they wanted in the first place.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.