The Turkish and Syrian armies are firing at each other near the town Saraqeb in the countryside of Idlib. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accuses Turkey of not fulfilling its commitments and moving troops to Idlib.
There are clashes between the Turkish and Syrian armies around Saraqeb. According to available information, artilleries are being fired from both sides at the military positions. Saraqeb is located almost 20 kilometres southeast of Idlib and connects the M4 and M5 highways. The Syrian army has moved into the outskirts of the city.
Lavrov: Turkey sends soldiers to the region
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the government's official journal, that information on Turkish troop transfers to the so-called de-escalation zone in Idlib is available and that the Russian army is monitoring the situation.
Turkey has not fulfilled its main obligations, Lavrov said and continued: "Firstly, it has not been able to separate the armed opposition, which cooperates with the Turks and is ready for dialogue with the government as part of a political process, from the terrorists of the Al-Nusra front, which now calls itself Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. These two organizations are on the UN Security Council's terrorist list and for that reason have no business being in Idlib."
Lavrov recalled the Sochi Agreement of 17 September 2018, which, among other things, established a demilitarized zone of ten to twenty kilometres in the south and east of Idlib. Russia will be continuing its efforts for the implementation of the agreement in full, he added.
On the other hand, artilleries of the Turkish Jihadist occupying forces have hit a Russian base in the village of Kishtihar in Afrin’s Shera district.
