Politics
16:08, 19-Jul-2018
Deal reached for Syrian army to enter rebel-held areas in Quneitra
Updated
15:47, 22-Jul-2018
["china"]
Share
Copied
A deal was reached Thursday allowing the Syrian army to enter the opposition-held areas in the southern province of Quneitra, which is near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.
According to the deal, which is backed by Russia, the Syrian army will enter all of the areas that were controlled by the government before 2011, the year the Syrian war began, said SANA.
It said the rebels will surrender their weapons. Those who reject the reconciliation with the government will be evacuated to rebel-held areas in northern Syria.
The deal will see the entire Quneitra province returning to government control.
This new deal comes just days after US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met in Helsinki. The situation in Syria, mainly in the southern region near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, was discussed.
The current deal also as the Syrian army has been on a month-long offensive in southern Syria, having already captured large swathes of Daraa. The army was also advancing in the countryside of Quneitra in a bid to lay a siege on areas controlled by the ISIL in Daraa near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
6999km
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency