A ceasefire reached in northwestern Syria’s Idlib Province on Thursday looks to be holding strong on Friday, with not a single airstrike reported against the rebel-held area, nor any battles on the ground claimed to have happened.
Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front issued a statement giving tentative acceptance to
the ceasefire, vowing they’d attack at the first sign of a violation,
and claiming the deal proved they were holding off the military in the
Idlib conflict of the past three months.
Which isn’t to say both sides aren’t accusing one another of violations, centered around some stray firing near Idlib Province. Yet without any big fights, this is just quibbling, and not a realistic threat to the newfound calm.
A long ceasefire could be huge for civilians stuck in this area, both
the large number of civilians who were relocated into Idlib from
rebel-held areas that were evacuated in the past, and the residents of
government-controlled areas on the outskirts that are always subject to
counterattacks.
The ceasefire is already broken!
The Russian way: Ceasefire, evacuate civilians, blow the “moderate” head choppers to bits. It’s worked all over Syria. Al-CIAda and the Israelis are the wild cards in this game, though. False-flag gas attack, coming right up, folks.
The Russians like making stupid, counterproductive ceasefires it seems.
Looks like the SAA will be attacking Kabani and the Kafr Zeita/Latminah area soon in Latakia and N Hama. They’ve been pounding the salafists this summer. HTS has suffered heavy losses in Tal Malah, Qasabiyeh, and Al Hamamiyat recently. They’re running out of tanks, IFV’s, heavy artillery, and experienced takfiris.
There are a few hidden hands in this game, US/Israel, Turkey, Large US/NATO and rebel held chunk bordering Jordan, and Allies from ME Saudis and UAE, and let’s not forget the Kurds within Syria and the Iraqi Peshmergas in Iraq.
The ME US/Israel and NATO have been flooding Syria Kurdistan with cash, military and construction equipment, overseasbbanking concerns, overseas training of both Military Command Structure, Civil Government, oil and infrastructure engineers by NGO’s and Security contractors.
Assad Syria has no say in final settlement, each days, weeks and months in field in or out of combat cost 10’s of millions in cash nation does not have.
The enemy on other hand by war and cease war delays allows them disarmament and recruits with Kurds becoming ever more capable militarily.
The Kurds only have to harrass Turkey and rebel stragglers all while preparing for own future autonomous (seperatist) region.
NATO and many other nations are sending troops to replace US while US continues to build up its forces and integrate Saudis under their command.
Putin, and Hense all of his military and financial oligarchs are willing to cede Syria Kurd US areas ratherthan face headon US there or in Venezuela, as they are fighting a drasticly declining economic and political base within Russia proper.
3D Chess anyone.