File photo
Zawiya Mountain overlooks highway between Aleppo and Latakia
Moderate opposition forces on Monday seized control of the strategic Zawiya Mountain after retaking three more villages from regime forces in the Idlib de-escalation zone, according to local sources.
The sources said opposition forces captured Hizareen, Kafr Mos and Dar Al-Kabira villages.
Zawiya Mountain (Jabal al-Zawiya) has a strategic importance as it overlooks the M4 highway connecting Aleppo and Latakia.
In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
But more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in attacks by regime and Russian forces since then, flouting both the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on Jan. 12.
More than 1.7 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks over the past year.
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