NEWSWORTHY
Alleged Syria chemical attack, retaliatory Russian airstrikes seen imperiling Idlib rebel truce deal
A 10-week-old truce deal in northern Syria looked as precarious as ever Monday after an alleged chemical attack, which has already drawn retaliatory raids despite its origins being unclear. The exact circumstances of the purported attack on three districts of the government-held city of Aleppo ...
Turkish president hosts Russian, French, German leaders at summit on ending Syrian civil war
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened a summit in Istanbul on Saturday with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France aimed at finding a political solution to the seven-year Syrian war. "The eyes of the world are on us today. . . . I am ...
Syrian jihadis signal acceptance of Russia-Turkey Idlib deal to prevent Assad regime onslaught
Syria's main jihadist group signaled on Sunday it would abide by the terms of a Russian-Turkish deal to prevent a Syrian government offensive on rebel-held Idlib the day before a critical deadline. Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadi alliance spearheaded by al-Qaida's former Syrian affiliate previously known ...
Jihadis pull heavy arms from parts of Syria buffer zone around Idlib: monitor
Jihadi factions including Syria's former al-Qaida branch have pulled heavy weapons from parts of a planned buffer zone in the country's northwest put forward under a Turkey-Russia deal, a monitor said Monday. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham "and other less influential jihadist groups have withdrawn their heavy ...
Fighters' alliance says pullout of heavy weapons from Syrian buffer zone to last several days
The withdrawal by rebels of their heavy weapons from a planned buffer zone in northwestern Syria is due to last several days, a Turkish-backed alliance of fighters said Sunday. The National Liberation Front (NLF) announced Saturday that it has begun withdrawing heavy arms from the ...
Two militant groups reject demilitarized zone set by Russia and Turkey in Syria's Idlib
Two insurgent groups rejected a deal reached this month between Russia and Turkey to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib region with one saying Sunday that the agreement aims to "bury the revolution." The rejection by some jihadi groups of the Russia-Turkey deal highlights ...
The leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, a key Damascus ally, said on Wednesday his group would keep its military presence in Syria until further notice, commending a Russian-Turkish deal over Idlib as a step towards a broader political solution. But Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah indicated the ...
Turkey working with Russia on Idlib amid lull in airstrikes in bid to avert regime offensive
Turkey has said it is working with Russia and Iran to stabilize Syria's rebel-held Idlib region, indicating continued efforts to avoid a Syrian government offensive in the area, where Ankara failed to secure a cease-fire last week. Damascus, backed by Russia and Iran, has been ...
U.N. documents further Syrian regime use of banned chemical arms, fears Idlib 'massacre'
U.N. investigators said on Wednesday that they had documented three further uses of banned chlorine weapons by Syrian government forces that constituted war crimes, and urged major powers to help avert a "massacre" in the final battle for Idlib. The attacks caused injuries in the ...
Syria regime assault on Idlib risks 'scattering terrorists' abroad: Paris
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Tuesday that a Syrian government offensive on the last rebel stronghold of Idlib could scatter thousands of foreign jihadis abroad, posing a security threat to the West. "There are in all likelihood dozens of French fighters from both ...
Assad has been warned against using chemical weapons in Idlib: Jim Mattis
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis stressed Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad has been well warned against any chemical weapons use in an anticipated assault on Idlib province. The Assad regime has twice been targeted by U.S. air and missile strikes after previous alleged chemical ...
