Damascus to Start Idlib Operations If Sochi Agreement Fails
"Damascus is waiting for implementation of the Sochi agreement signed between Turkey and Russia, and the military operations will be the option if the agreement is not implemented in a short period of time," Raqib was quoted as saying by the Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday.
He added that military operations in Idlib are demanded by the Syrian people to expel the terrorists.
Asked about the possibility of clashes between the Syrian and Turkish armies, Raqib said, "The Turkish side will not dare to directly engage in clashes with Syria because the Syrian leadership and people will give a strong response to any aggression."
Heavy attacks by the terrorist groups, deployed in the demilitarized zone, on the Syrian Army in the Northern and Northwestern parts of the country has pushed the Sochi Agreement to the threshold of failure.
Various terrorist groups have been pounding the Syrian army ever since the agreement was struck by Russia and Turkey, and government troops have been repelling such attacks from the demilitarized zone on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, the army targeted the movements of Kata'eb al-Izzah terrorists, deployed in the demilitarized zone, and repelled their attack on the government forces near the town of al-Latamina in Northern Hama, inflicting major losses on them.
Other units of the army fended off a heavy attack by the terrorists in the village of al-Hamamiat North of the town of Mahradah from their positions in Tal al-Sakahr region, killing and wounding a number of terrorists and forcing the militants to retreat.
In the meantime, the army men engaged in heavy fighting with the terrorists in al-Khowein region in Southeastern Idlib.
Meanwhile, the army's artillery and missile units pounded terrorists' positions in the small towns of al-Loweibadah, Zarzour, Um Jalala, repelling their attacks.
Now, observers believe that terrorists' provocative measures in the region and their growing attacks on the army in Lattakia, Hama, Idlib and Aleppo provinces have pushed the Sochi Agreement to the brink of collapse.
The terrorists' attacks are pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.
Colonel Mar'ei Hamdan, a Syrian military expert, was quoted by the Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency as saying last week that Tahrir al-Sham is in control of nearly 70% of towns and villages in Idlib province and makes provocative moves against the Syrian army, adding that the army's commitment to decrease tensions is not lasting forever.
He added that the Syrian army has so far repelled all attacks by terrorists against its positions and inflicted heavy damages on them, noting that the army is now necessitated to come out of the defensive mood to retake control of Idlib.
Hamdan said that Tahrir al-Sham will resort to a full-scale military operation against the Syrian and Russian armies soon, after rejecting the Sochi agreement last October, which leaves no room for ceasefire or disarmament anymore, and underlined that the Syrian army's battle against Tahrir al-Sham is inevitable.
Meantime, the Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham and National Liberation Front (NLF) terrorist groups has also dismissed the Russian-Turkish Sochi agreement and is preparing for military operations against the army in Northern Syria, calling for a coalition with Tahrir al-Sham.
Tahrir al-Sham and other allied terrorist groups have not left the demilitarized zone two months after the Sochi agreement and have instead reinvigorated their strongholds and targeted the army positions every day.
Relevant reports said earlier this month that the Turkey-backed NLF had put its gunmen on alert to launch a heavy offensive against the Syrian army in the demilitarized zone in Idlib province.
The Arabic-language al-Watan reported that the Turkey-backed NLF had kept its fighters in and outside the demilitarized zone, envisioned in the Sochi Agreement, on alert for imminent war against the army.
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