Syria to Recapture Idlib Peacefully or Militarily: Deputy FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Syrian deputy foreign minister emphasized that his country will retake control of the northern province of Idlib either through military action or peace.
In an interview with Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper, Faisal Mekdad reaffirmed the Damascus government’s resolve to recapture Idlib from terrorists by any means necessary.
Idlib is an inseparable part of Syria and it is natural for the government to retake control of the city and stabilize its sovereignty over there, he added.
Pointing to the political and diplomatic efforts to bring Idlib under the control of Damascus, Mekdad said, “We will be victorious in Idlib, and our message to the involved parties (in the Idlib conflict) is quite clear: We will enter Idlib either through peace or war.”
The Syrian deputy foreign minister also said that the government prefers peaceful measures to liberate Idlib, saying termination of terrorism in Syria would come with the implementation of the UN Security Council’s resolutions and restoration of Syria’s sovereignty over its territories.
The Syrian army has voiced readiness for a military offensive in Idlib, the last major terrorist-held bastion in the country.
Meanwhile, Russian and Turkish leaders reached an agreement last week to create a demilitarized zone in Idlib and avert a military action against the Syrian province.
Syria was gripped by civil war in 2011 and various foreign-backed terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), poured to the Arab country to topple the Damascus government.
The war has reportedly claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
