Opposition ‘Army’ in Preparation for Idlib Battle

Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib head on the Damascus-Aleppo motorway towards the northern part of the rebel-held province on December 30, 2017. Omar Haj Kadour / AFP
Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib head on the Damascus-Aleppo motorway towards the northern part of the rebel-held province on December 30, 2017. Omar Haj Kadour / AFP
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Opposition ‘Army’ in Preparation for Idlib Battle

Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib head on the Damascus-Aleppo motorway towards the northern part of the rebel-held province on December 30, 2017. Omar Haj Kadour / AFP
Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib head on the Damascus-Aleppo motorway towards the northern part of the rebel-held province on December 30, 2017. Omar Haj Kadour / AFP

A high-ranking opposition source revealed Sunday that rebel factions operating in northern Syria have formed a new army to confront regime forces, which are preparing to advance towards Idlib province once they complete their battle in Daraa in the coming days.

“Opposition factions, mainly Jabhat Tahrir Souriya, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the National Front, Jaish al-Islam and Jaish Idlib al-Horr have joined their forces under one new army called Jaish al-Fateh, which comprises more than 75,000 fighters,” the source told the German news agency.

He added that the fighters would confront regime forces, which started advancing towards the region.

Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdel Rahman confirmed news about the creation of a new army for opposition factions in the north of Syria, but an opposition military source in Idlib told Asharq Al-Awsat that there were ongoing talks regarding the matter.

“There is a directive to announce a joint military operation room that brings together all factions operating in the north without having to merge those factions under the auspices of a unified army,” the source said, adding that the tasks of managing the fronts would be allocated among those factions, which also include Tahrir al-Sham.

In a related development, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would be holding another international summit to discuss the situation in Syria with his counterparts in Germany, France, and Russia.

"We will address regional topics at the four-way meeting in Istanbul," Erdogan said, according to Turkish newspapers.

The president said the meeting is to take place on September 7 in Istanbul.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said a deal in Syria was the most important topic of discussion during the summit held last week between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan in Moscow.



Lebanese President Says ‘Forbidden’ to Return to War Rhetoric

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the French delegation on Monday. (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the French delegation on Monday. (Lebanese Presidency)
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Lebanese President Says ‘Forbidden’ to Return to War Rhetoric

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the French delegation on Monday. (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the French delegation on Monday. (Lebanese Presidency)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday it was “forbidden to return to war rhetoric,” while reiterating that the decision to limit the possession of arms to the state “has been taken.”

The issue is being addressed calmly and responsibly in order to protect civil peace, he stressed while meeting a delegation from the French Senate at the Baabda Palace.

Aoun added that the Lebanese army was carrying out its duties in full south of the Litani River in line with the ceasefire agreement reached in November, according to a presidency statement.

It continues to clear villages and towns of ammunition and armed presence, he went on to say, remarking that the process will take some time because of the large area that will be covered.

The main obstacle preventing the army from reaching the southern border is Israel’s occupation of five hilltops, which Aoun said, have no military significance.

Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the area is complicating matters and preventing stability from being restored to the border, which makes their pullout necessary so that the Lebanese army can continue its deployment and allow the state to impose its authority across the country, the president urged.

He told the French delegation that the army is deployed along the northern and eastern borders and is carrying out its duties there, especially combating terrorism, human-trafficking and drug smuggling.

Aoun stressed that he is in contact with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to coordinate over border issues to prevent any unrest.

Joint committees have been formed after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Damascus in order to address pending issues, especially the demarcation of the land and maritime borders and Syrian refugees still in Lebanon, Aoun said.

Now that war in Syria is over, the refugees who are still in Lebanon are staying for economic reasons, he explained, saying that Beirut has called on the international community to provide them with assistance to allow them to go back to their country.

The assistance should not be paid in Lebanon, which will only encourage the refugees to stay, he noted.