BEIRUT: A Russian-Turkish deal to set up a buffer zone around Syria’s last major rebel bastion hung by a thread Sunday, as militants showed no sign of withdrawing hours before a deadline.
The accord also provides for the clearance of heavy weapons from a U-shaped zone around the northwestern region of Idlib, but a monitor said rebels late Saturday fired mortar shells from it.
The deal agreed last month between regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey is only the latest in a string of truces throughout Syria’s seven-year war, which has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions.
It calls for setting up horseshoe-shaped buffer zone around the Idlib region that would be free of heavy arms by October 10 and of “radical fighters” by Sunday at midnight.
But with just hours to go on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor and an AFP correspondent in Idlib said there was still no sign that they had left so far.
And deadly mortar rounds fired late Saturday from the planned buffer zone, according to the Britain-based monitor, appeared to indicate the first part of the deal was not fully implemented.
“In a few hours, the buffer zone is supposed to enter into force, but the deal has not yet been implemented,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Observatory.
Late Saturday, “heavy mortar shells” were fired from the planned buffer area into regime territory, killing two soldiers, the Observatory said.
Rebels and militants had reportedly fulfilled the first part of the deal, with Turkish officials, armed factions and the Britain-based Observatory reporting that the area was free of heavy-duty weaponry.
But the shells which Saturday hit an army position in Hama province appear to have violated the accord.
“This is the first clear violation of the deal since the heavy weapons were withdrawn. This area is supposed to be clear of heavy weapons, including mortar shells,” Abdel Rahman said.
He said intermittent regime shelling had been hitting the planned buffer for days, but the deal does not require government forces to withdraw any of their weapons.
On Sunday evening, regime shelling hit an area in the west of the planned buffer zone, in the northwest of Hama province, Abdel Rahman said.
Syrian pro-regime daily Al-Watan also reported rebel shelling, saying on Sunday that western parts of Aleppo province were being hit with “rocket fire and shelling with heavy weapons, which were supposed to be pulled out from the area.”
And an AFP correspondent in western Aleppo reported mortar fire in the area after several days of quiet.
The Observatory said it was unclear which groups fired the mortars late Saturday, as both the Turkish-backed National Liberation Front and rival militant factions were present in the area.
The NLF — which holds just under half of the Idlib region and has welcomed the accord — did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment on the shelling.
The lion’s share of Idlib is held by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), an alliance led by former Al-Qaeda members, as well as more hard-line militants like Hurras Al-Deen and Ansar Al-Islam.
Those fighters also control more than two-thirds of the planned buffer zone and are supposed to withdraw by Monday.
Hurras Al-Deen has publicly rejected the agreement, although it apparently withdrew its heavy arms from the area last week.
HTS, widely considered the most powerful force in Idlib, has not publicly commented on the accord but also quietly abided by its first deadline and re-stationed heavy arms elsewhere.
Persuading these militant factions to implement the deal’s second half would be much more challenging, observers say.
In a recent report for the Turkey-based Omran Center, expert Nawar Oliver described HTS’s approval as the deal’s ultimate “test.”
“If HTS acts as a spoiler to the agreement on the ground, this will probably lead to one of two scenarios: either Turkey and the NLF launch military action against HTS, or Russia will seize the opportunity with the support of the regime and its allies to enter Idlib,” he said.
“The ramifications of that move could be vast,” he added.
Syrian President Bashar Assad and other top government officials have awarned that the Idlib deal was only a “temporary” measure.
On Friday, residents around Idlib received warning messages on their mobile phones from the Syrian army.
“Get away from the fighters. Their fate is sealed and near,” one said.
Syria buffer deal hangs in balance hours before deadline
Syria buffer deal hangs in balance hours before deadline
- Those in the opposition fear the deal could end up like last year’s so-called de-escalation zones implemented in central and southern Syria
- Most opposition groups, including a Turkey-backed alliance known as the National Liberation Front, have accepted the deal on a demilitarized zone
First Ramadan after truce brings flicker of joy in devastated Gaza
- Ramadan lanterns and string lights appear on streets lined with collapsed buildings and piles of rubble in Gaza City
- The first holy month since the October ceasefire brings mixed feelings for the many still living in tents
GAZA CITY: Little Ramadan lanterns and string lights appeared on streets lined with collapsed buildings and piles of rubble in Gaza City, bringing joy and respite as Islam’s holiest month began — the first since October’s ceasefire.
In the Omari mosque, dozens of worshippers performed the first Ramadan morning prayer, fajr, bare feet on the carpet but donning heavy jackets to stave off the winter cold.
“Despite the occupation, the destruction of mosques and schools, and the demolition of our homes... we came in spite of these harsh conditions,” Abu Adam, a resident of Gaza City who came to pray, told AFP.
“Even last night, when the area was targeted, we remained determined to head to the mosque to worship God,” he said.
A security source in Gaza told AFP Wednesday that artillery shelling targeted the eastern parts of Gaza City that morning.
The source added that artillery shelling also targeted a refugee camp in central Gaza.
Israel does not allow international journalists to enter the Gaza Strip, preventing AFP and other news organizations from independently verifying casualty figures.
‘Stifled joy’
In Gaza’s south, tens of thousands of people still live in tents and makeshift shelters as they wait for the territory’s reconstruction after a US-brokered ceasefire took hold in October.
Nivin Ahmed, who lives in a tent in the area known as Al-Mawasi, told AFP this first Ramadan without war brought “mixed and varied feelings.”
“The joy is stifled. We miss people who were martyred, are still missing, detained, or even traveled,” she said.
“The Ramadan table used to be full of the most delicious dishes and bring together all our loved ones,” the 50-year-old said.
“Today, I can barely prepare a main dish and a side dish. Everything is expensive. I can’t invite anyone for Iftar or suhoor,” she said, referring to the meals eaten before and after the daily fast of Ramadan.
Despite the ceasefire, shortages remain in Gaza, whose battered economy and material damage have rendered most residents at least partly dependent on humanitarian aid for their basic needs.
But with all entries into the tiny territory under Israeli control, not enough goods are able to enter to bring prices down, according to the United Nations and aid groups.
‘Still special’
Maha Fathi, 37, was displaced from Gaza City and lives in a tent west of the city.
“Despite all the destruction and suffering in Gaza, Ramadan is still special,” she told AFP.
“People have begun to empathize with each other’s suffering again after everyone was preoccupied with themselves during the war.”
She said that her family and neighbors were able to share moments of joy as they prepared food for suhoor and set up Ramadan decorations.
“Everyone longs for the atmosphere of Ramadan. Seeing the decorations and the activity in the markets fills us with hope for a return to stability,” she added.
On the beach at central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, Palestinian artist Yazeed Abu Jarad contributed to the holiday spirit with his art.
In the sand near the Mediterranean Sea, he sculpted “Welcome Ramadan” in ornate Arabic calligraphy, under the curious eye of children from a nearby tent camp.
Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents were displaced at least once during the more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the latter’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.
Mohammed Al-Madhoun, 43, also lives in a tent west of Gaza City, and hoped for brighter days ahead.
“I hope this is the last Ramadan we spend in tents. I feel helpless in front of my children when they ask me to buy lanterns and dream of an Iftar table with all their favorite foods.”
“We try to find joy despite everything,” he said, describing his first Ramadan night out with the neighbors, eating the pre-fast meal and praying.
“The children were as if they were on a picnic,” he said.
