Russia says Syrian government forces halt fire in Idlib

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The Russian army Sunday said President Bashar al-Assad's Syrian forces had ceased fire "unilaterally" in a northwestern rebel bastion, but the deadly bombardment was reportedly continuing there.

Airstrikes by Russia were reported resumed on the Idlib region late Sunday, and shelling and rocket fire in fighting had reportedly killed six civilians in different areas of the province.

Fighting erupted in Idlib late last month, effectively shattering a cease-fire negotiated by Russia and Turkey that had been in place since September.

A building that was damaged during fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels in northwestern Idlib province, Syria, May 14, 2019. /VCG Photo

The Russian military's center for reconciliation in Syria on Sunday said: "From 00:00 on May 18, Syrian armed forces unilaterally ceased fire in the Idlib de-escalation zone.

"However, firing targeting government forces' positions and civilians in the provinces of Hama, Latakia and Aleppo continues."

The Syrian state agency SANA said earlier rockets and mortar shells were fired at the northern part of Hama province by "terrorist groups," by which it means jihadists and opposition forces.

The agency added that the Syrian army responded with fire that destroyed positions held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who controls most of Idlib province as well as parts of neighboring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

Smoke rises above buildings during fighting between government forces and rebels in the southern countryside of the rebel-held Idlib province, Syria, May 11, 2019.

In a statement on its Defense Ministry's website on Friday, Turkey also accused Syrian government forces of violating a ceasefire agreement reached with Russia for Idlib, adding that an escalation in violence could lead to a humanitarian tragedy.

Russia has backed the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey has backed some rebels in Syria's eight-year-old civil war, but they have worked together to try to contain fighting in the country's northwest.

Last September, Russia and Turkey agreed to create a buffer zone in Idlib, where rebels were required to withdraw by the middle of October, after Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a news conference in Sochi, Russia, September 17, 2018. /Reuters Photo

However, the effort has been strained by the surge of violence in recent weeks in Idlib, where about three million people live.

Syria's war is estimated to have killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions inside Syria and abroad since starting in March 2011.

(Cover image: The flare-up of conflicts since last month has shattered cease-fire negotiations between Russia and Turkey. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AP ,Reuters