Number Of Ceasefire Violations In Syria's Idlib Increasing - Russian Foreign Ministry

Number of Ceasefire Violations in Syria's Idlib Increasing - Russian Foreign Ministry

The number of ceasefire violations in Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone is on the rise, and the Syrian Armed Forces are forced to respond to provocations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2019) The number of ceasefire violations in Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone is on the rise, and the Syrian Armed Forces are forced to respond to provocations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"The number of ceasefire violations registered in Idlib de-escalation zone continues to increase. Residential neighborhoods of Aleppo and other settlements are being stricken every single day. The Syrian armed forces are forced to respond to these provocations," Zakharova said at a briefing.

Idlib is one of the Syrian areas where terrorists and militants, particularly those who are part of the Nusra Front terror group (banned in Russia) or affiliated with it, are active. Moreover, thousands of militants have been moved to the province from other Syrian regions.

On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an agreement on setting up a demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line between the armed opposition and the government forces.

In early February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said that Idlib de-escalation zone was a temporary measure, adding that Moscow would not tolerate any "hotbeds" of terrorism in Syria. Speaking about a possible military operation in the region, Vershinin did not give a specific answer, adding that if such an operation did take place in Idlib, it would be "carried out in the most effective manner."

Russia, Iran and Turkey, are the guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire regime.