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Feedback 0 / 5</s>At least one civilian was killed on Sunday in attacks by the Syrian regime and pro-regime terrorist groups in Syria's northwestern Idlib de-escalation zone.

The regime and Iranian-backed terrorist groups have been firing artillery into the villages which are situated inside the de-escalation zone, the parameters of which were laid down in a recent agreement between Turkey and Russia.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mustafa Hajj Youssef, director of the White Helmets civil-defense agency, said the attacks targeting Idlib's southwestern villages also left two civilians injured.

Youssef said that the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital.

After a meeting in Russia's coastal city of Sochi between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sept. 17, the two sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited -- in Idlib.

Under the terms of the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will carry out joint patrols in the area to prevent a resumption of fighting.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.</s>Ankara has accused the Bashar Assad regime of provoking terrorism in Syria's northwestern Idlib de-escalation zone as Turkey pushes to establish stability and maintain peace amid clashes between the Syrian regime and opposition forces, as well as fighting between opposition groups.

Touching upon the Syrian regime's steadfast discomfort over the political process on the Syrian conflict, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said yesterday at a press conference that the Sochi deal has been implemented successfully yet the regime continues its violations of the deal. Çavuşoğlu added that media reports suggesting that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured 50 percent of Idlib are wrong.

The Syrian regime is continuing its aggression in Idlib, home to more than 3.5 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities in the war-torn country. On Sunday, regime forces and Iranian-backed terrorist groups fired artillery into villages situated inside the de-escalation zone, killing at least one civilian. According to local sources, the regime targeted villages in the countryside of the Homs and Idlib governorates.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Mustafa Hajj Youssef, director of the White Helmets civil-defense agency, said the attacks targeting Idlib's southwestern villages also left two civilians injured. He added that the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital.

Çavuşoğlu added that Turkey is doing what is required to maintain peace and prevent violations in Idlib. He pointed out that "if Idlib becomes a nest of terrorism, it is the Syrian regime's fault."

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday, "All efforts are being made to maintain the cease-fire and stability under the Sochi agreement. Our close cooperation with Russia continues in this manner."

Idlib, located near the Turkish border, has been protected by a buffer zone implemented under a Turkish-Russian deal, known as the Sochi deal, reached in September.

Not only regime forces but also al-Qaida-linked terrorist organizations have been trying to undermine the Sochi deal, which brought stability to the governorate by warding off a likely regime offensive and a humanitarian disaster. However, media outlets reported on Thursday that after two weeks of clashes, the HTS terrorist group and the Free Syrian Army-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) agreed on a cease-fire. The agreement between the parties will provide a cease-fire throughout Idlib, it also envisages the removal of the trenches and ditches dug by the groups across the city.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in September 2018, following their talks in Sochi, to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib in order to decrease tension and prevent a new conflict in the province. According to the 10-article memorandum signed between Ankara and Moscow during the meeting, the Idlib de-escalation area will be preserved, and Turkish observation posts will be fortified and continue to function. Russia will also take all necessary measures to ensure that military operations and attacks on Idlib are avoided, and the existing status quo is maintained. The agreement also envisaged the removal of "all radical terrorist groups" from the demilitarized zone by October 2019.</s>ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish troops and tanks carried out military exercises on the border with Syria on Saturday, state-run media reported, while a monitoring group said a Turkish convoy had crossed the frontier into northern Syria.

Turkey’s military sent tanks and armored vehicles to the border in the second day of reinforcements near the province of Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria.

On Friday, a Turkish security source said the Turkish army had been rotating forces in and out of the region, and declined to say whether the latest movement was in preparation for an operation inside Syria itself.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based monitoring group, said a Turkish convoy had entered Syria.

Islamist fighters have tightened their control over the Idlib region following more than a week of fighting with Turkey-backed Syrian rebels.

The rise of the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al Sham has raised doubt over the future of a deal agreed in September between Turkey - which has several military observation posts in Idlib - and President Bashar al-Assad’s main ally Russia to avert a Syrian government army assault. The agreement requires banned Islamist groups to be expelled from a frontline buffer zone.

The escalation in Idlib comes as U.S. forces prepare to withdraw from a separate region of northern and eastern Syria.

Earlier on Saturday, the Turkish defense minister, chief of general staff and the intelligence agency head visited border military units and discussed “measures to establish peace and stability in the region,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We are making every effort to preserve the ceasefire and stability in Idlib, in line with the Sochi agreement. Our close cooperation with Russia continues,” Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.

Akar’s comments came a day after Russia said it remained committed to the agreement it had struck with Turkey to stabilize a de-escalation zone in Idlib, but said Moscow was worried by an increase in the number of ceasefire violations.</s>Beirut: Artillery shelling by government forces pounded parts of the north-western Idlib province on Saturday, thwarting an infiltration attempt by militants as tension rises in the region following victories by al-Qaida-linked militants against Turkey-backed opposition fighters, Syria's state news agency reported.

The violence came as officials in neighbouring Turkey said efforts are being exerted to maintain stability in Idlib.

SANA said the shelling focused on the areas of Zarzour near the border with Turkey and Tamanaa near Maaret al-Numan that was taken this week by al-Qaida- linked militants from Turkey-backed opposition fighters. It reported casualties among the militants.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government shelled six areas in and near Idlib province.
The Syrian government and pro-government militants fire artillery into villages inside the Idlib de-escalation zone, killing one civilian and leaving two civilians injured.